


Our World

by SammiButtonz



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Comedy, Eren Yeager - Freeform, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) - Freeform, Levi/Eren Yeager - Freeform, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, Love Confessions, M/M, Male Bonding, New Beginnings, Peace, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Friendship, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-01-21 22:16:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1565987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammiButtonz/pseuds/SammiButtonz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time and patience brings beauty. Eren finally escapes the walls of his imprisonment and travels far from the life he once knew, to discover a fresh new start--but he's not alone. When he finds out that Corporal Levi also wants to make a run for it, the two make a pact to escape. They venture far past their troubles and discover a whole new world of their own, claiming it all for themselves.<br/>No walls, no titans, no troubles...Maybe the world isn't too bad, after all.<br/>With time, the two men grow to see another form of beauty that will change their new lives greatly...Love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Life

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you all will enjoy this series!! I can't guarantee that I will be able to write all too consistently, but I will try! I'm a published author and will soon be facing cutoff dates, so that's much more important--but no worries! I'm not willing to give up on the series! I'm not the time of person to just drop everything and leave everyone hanging. Nope! If school and publishing gets too crazy, I will absolutely let you all know!  
> Thanks for the support and I hope you all enjoy the story! <3

 

Breathless…

The aching in my heart just grows.

Where are you? I’m here—and alone. I’ve been waiting for you, just like you told me to do. Shit…how long have I been here for? Four months? Yeah, probably, but it feels _much_ longer than that. It feels like I have been waiting here for well over a _year_.

Are you well?

My teal-green eyes have been gazing up at the sky for how long now? I mean, I have nothing better to do, so this is how I waste my time. If you were here, you’d probably yell at me to do something productive after lounging around so much lately. You know, I have been staring up at the same, old, blue sky for quite some time now—except, today, it’s the color of your eyes.

Bluish-gray.

Your eyes aren’t as simple as that though. They’re _much_ more complex. I could spend all day describing them. They’re always changing colors: bluish-gray, steel-gray, gray, black…they’re always changing, depending on your mood. Bluish-gray when you’re in a pretty good mood (like when you’re cleaning), steel-gray on normal days, gray when you’re annoyed, and black when you’re pissed. Just thinking about you sends nervous shivers spiraling up through my infected body.

Did something happen? I want to go out past the perimeters and search for you, but you said that you’d chop my balls off if I did—and, personally, I like my balls right where they are.

After much dozing off, I realize that another hour or so passes by. “Huh…? When did the sky turn gray?” I quietly mumble to myself. I sigh then force myself to get up, out of the tall field of grass. I stride back to my small, log cabin with heavily burdened thoughts and a long yawn that sends tears to my weary eyes. It begins to rain lightly when I finally reach the comfort of my home. I walk inside and kick off my boots.

“I’m home!” I call out. I then let out a small, impatient sigh. Of course no one would answer, but in my mind, _he_ would answer every time. _“Welcome back.”_ The familiar voice would say. When he’d see me, he would let a tiny smile crawl up across his pale complexion. His normally light eyes would twinkle, even if it was for a quick second before he would proceed back to whatever the hell he would be doing.

“ _Shit_! Fantasying won’t do a fucking thing!” I slam a fist hard against one of the walls, feeling anger surge just below my skin. When I look up, I catch my reflection staring back at me in a nearby mirror. The irritated person before me has tan skin with bright, teal-green eyes that sometimes look a bit bluer when he’s wearing lighter clothes, or when he’s in a very good mood. Just below my right eye, there’s a large smudge of dirt from when I tripped over a stone outside earlier that morning. For a titan, I was pretty freakin’ clumsy, to say the least.

Oh…right. I’m a _titan_.

I unintentionally grasp the golden key wrapped around my neck while I stare intimidatingly back up at the rough image of me. It has become my fate, a _large_ portion of me, and the key I’m holding in my dominate palm is the answer to the ‘hidden form’ I possess—except I can’t physically _reach_ the answer.It is buried beneath the ruble in Shiganshina; the district I use to live in as a little kid. Actually, the whole reason why I ran away was because the king of Arc Sina wanted to make me his hound dog. After completing so many missions successfully for about two years straight, I was going to be promoted. They wanted me to be a part of the military. I refused thoughtfully though because my spot in the Recon Corps was much more important to me. I was with all my friends; my _family_. I couldn’t just leave them behind.

The king wouldn’t tolerate my refusal though. He said that if I wasn’t to stand at his side, I wouldn’t stand at _any_ one’s side and would immediately be considered a ‘traitor’ for refusing his deal. The fucking deal I had little-to- _no_ say in. I would be kicked to the ground and imprisoned for the rest of my life for being ‘disobedient.’ It had meant that I could still be a reckless titan too if I wasn’t going to listen to higher-ups’ say in things. Hence, the king decided to give me one more day to think the deal over. I had spoken to Corporal Levi about it because I was just too bothered by it. I didn’t have the heart to tell Mikasa or Armin. It’d break their hearts.

After all, it was Levi’s words that had drastically changed my life.

 

-Flashback-

 

“Corporal…I have no other options left. I’ll either never see the light of day ever again, or I’ll have to stand beside our _douchebag-of-a-king_ starting tomorrow!” I hugged my legs up against my chest and rested my face against my legs. “I know I should take the king’s deal, but—that’s not where I belong! I don’t belong to the military! The Recon Corps has become my home!”

I was stressed. I’d probably never see Levi, Mikasa, Armin, or any of my other friends ever again, either way. The thought sickened me. I truly _am_ a monster…because I wouldn’t have been in such a horrible position if I wasn’t.

Levi heavily sighed then sat down beside me, resting a hand on top of my hair. He had held it there for a moment before stroking my brown locks leisurely with his delicate fingertips. He got me to relax during such a problematic situation…

“Then create a third option.” He stated. My leader’s words shocked me. My head jumped up off of my knees while my eyes observed every crevice of his handsome face. He drew his hand back to himself then ran his fingers through his own hair. The man had a black, undercut that always looked sharp and clean at sight. That had just been a part of his personality showing.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Levi irritably clicked his tongue to his teeth then glared at me. “What the fuck do you _think_ it means, Jaeger?” “Uh…” I trailed. To be frank, I really had no idea what he was referring to.

The man sighed again then trapped my chin with his fingertips, carrying my face several inches from his. That moment—that snapshot of time had struck a pleasant cord within me. For some reason, only he had the ability to do that (and still does). “Run away,” He carefully explained, “I’ll help you escape this hellhole.” I moved my eyes from his serious ones, feeling my face and ears burn up. “I…I’ll be by myself though.” I quietly told him. “I don’t know what’s scarier; being alone and free, or being alone and prisoned with other strangers.”

“Who said you were going alone?” Levi wondered, narrowing his eyes onto me.

“Huh? Who would be coming with me?” I obliviously questioned. He tightened his grip around my chin. “Who the heck do you think?” He raised a quizzical brow at me. “Me, of course. If you’re escaping, I sure as hell am, too. I’m not staying here anymore. For all I care, these shitheads could do whatever the fuck they want.”

That was the day my feelings for Levi blossomed. I had fallen for him.

“You’d—come with me? Really?!” I excitedly tossed my hands onto his shoulders with a big, stupid grin across my face. I couldn’t help it. I was going to be running away with my _crush._ Who wouldn’t be excited?

“Woah, calm your shit, brat! We still have to figure out how we’ll be getting out of here.” He brushed my hands off of his shoulders as if I was nothing more than mere dirt. “I know, but I’m just so happy that I won’t be going alone!” I cheered with bright eyes staring over at him. He crooked his head slightly off to its side and let a smug smirk crawl up across his peach colored lips, “Oh? You don’t care that I’ll be accompanying you?” He chortled, “You do realize that if we get away, you’ll become my personal servant, right?”

I looked at him funny. “I wouldn’t really mind since I’m already so used to being bossed around by you. Better to be bossed around by one person than a whole bunch, if you ask me.” There was a long pause before he had replied, “Good to hear that you won’t mind much.” He looked surprised and had looked to have been deep in thought.

That night, _somehow_ , we managed to get past the walls blockading us from our freedom and hastily traveled off the maps and into the danger zone; titan territory. That late night had proven to be at our advantage. We blended perfectly into the darkness coating the sky and managed to slither away from both the walls and titans.

We traveled to a part of the world where titans hardly even existed.

We had claimed it. It became _our_ land; _our_ world.

**...**

Coming back to reality, I was laying on the couch, listening to the rain pour all around my little home. It was peaceful, getting my tense body to turn to mush. Its days like these where I feel the loneliest. I miss Levi’s company incredibly and am always hoping for his safe return. He said before he had left four months ago that he was going to search the land around us to see if there were seriously no titans. He and I found it all too strange, but in a way, it made sense. There are no humans around where we are now, so what was the point in staying put when you could have a whole _feast_ of them north from where our house is currently located? I mean, I hate the idea that Mikasa, Armin, and my other friends are still within the same walls that I have escaped, but I’m also happy because of it, too. I am able to claim my freedom after the many years I was stripped of it.

I am a _free_ eighteen year-old and am able to make my own choices again.

“I’m free, eighteen, and _lonely_ …” I mutter unhappily to myself. I miss Levi, a lot. Every day is another emotional challenge for me. Waiting for him has proven to be hard, but I will continue to wait until the day he returns. Though I just want to go and look for him myself, I know that he would hate me for doing that. He wants me to be ‘safe.’ If someone or some _thing_ was to find me, I could be in Death’s hands all over again.

But what about Levi? He isn’t in Death’s hands—is he?

Anyway, I think it’s about time I address this, just in case you’re wondering. Levi and I aren’t together—but we act like we are every once in a while. He flirts with me, I flirt with him, but not once have we told one another that we ‘ _really_ like’ each other. Shoot, I’m in _love_ with the guy, but I’m too afraid to even _admit_ it to his face. If he doesn’t feel the same, he could possibly leave me and never come back, for good. Honestly, he might not even come back _this_ time around, considering how I haven’t seen his gorgeous face for the past four months straight. I wonder if I pissed him off or something…though we almost always got along here in our home.

Our home.

It was small, but very cozy and cute. When you walk into the house, off to your left, is the kitchen. To the right is our living room that possesses both a chocolate-brown couch and recliner made of leather. In front of the couch is a hand-carved coffee table. A radio sits on its top and plays strictly in the morning and night when Levi is home. I rarely play it these days because it only stresses me out and makes my loneliness worsen with every report of human activity behind the walls of Sina and Rose. Anyway, between both the kitchen and living room is the dining room where another handmade table is smushed up against the wall. We always use to have dinner together there. Let’s see…from the front door, if you press forward and entirely pass the kitchen, off to your left, there will be a hallway that leads you to another three rooms. The first door to the right is our bathroom. It’s a fairly good size and can fit the two of us in it easily, so we don’t complain. The first door to the left is our bedroom. Levi and I share the same room since it has a comfortable queen sized bed in it (plus it’s the only bed in the whole entire house). I sure as hell don’t mind sharing it with him and, truthfully, I don’t think he really does either because he hasn’t really complained about it yet. Last, is the second door to the right. That is our ‘game’ room. When in there, we make our own puzzles then put them together, or we spend time sparing each other instead (even if the space is very limited). We also keep our 3D maneuver gear off in one of the corners, too.

_Yeah_ …we snuck two away from the base. We needed them in order to get away from the fifty-meter wall and, _wow_ —they sure had made a difference! Levi was smart enough to bring along some tools too just in case our gear was to break down sometime.

We have the essentials to keep us living with content. Levi said so himself.

So…where is he?

I go to bed with the sound of the rain heavily pounding the logs that keep me dry. I curl up under the comforter and let my eyes gradually close. The sound of the rain puts me to sleep almost too instantly.

**...**

_Bliss_.

Why does the empty feeling that I have had for the past four months now, suddenly feel full? It confuses the half-asleep version of me. My heavy weighted eyes open to darkness. The sound of rain pans back into my conscious ears.

Touch: Gentle— _sweet_.

I jump up. I can’t see anything, but I sure can  _feel_ something. Someone was _touching_ my face.

“Who is it?” I nervously ask. My heart is racing faster than a racehorse.

“It’s me, dipshit. I’m back.” That voice…it _can’t_ be…

“L-Levi…?” I quiz. He softly chuckles, “Yeah?”

I think to myself: _He’s back! He **freakin’** back!_ My hands then greedily crave for his touch, just so that I can clarify that he’s actually, _really_ there; that I’m not just imagining things.

When I feel damp, bare skin beneath my fingers, I feel a flutter of relief wash over me. He must have recently walked in from the rain and pried off his wet clothes.

Without much thought, I pull him down to me and hug him tightly against my weakened state. “Where the heck have you been?” I grip him closer, not willing to let go, “I’ve been so lonely!” I snug my face down against the crook of his neck and feel tears threaten my unstable eyes. I can’t see him at all, but I know it’s him. I know his voice, his language, his body, all too well. This really _is_ real, every second of it.

He reaches his arms down around me and lets out an uneven sigh. “I’m sorry. I really wasn’t expecting to be gone so long—but wait until I tell you what I have found. I think you’ll really like it.” He explained. “But first, let’s get some shuteye. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I’m too damn tired to begin ‘story time’ this late at night.” I nod against his neck while my smile presses to his bare skin. I whisper, “That sounds great.” The two of us lie down together then crawl underneath our covers. “…I’m just so happy that you’re back.” I add. “I’m happy to be back, too,” He answers. “Because I have missed your stupid face.”

I laugh quietly.

For the rest of the night, the two of us sleep embraced within the other’s grasp—something we have never done before.

To be honest, I have never slept so peacefully before in my whole entire life.


	2. Catching Up

 

“Birds… _so_ loud…” I mumble under my breath, tossing the comforter up over my head. I don’t want to get up yet. _Nope_. Not happening. I mean, _hell_! You’ve got to be shitting me. Just last night there was a huge rainstorm and today, it is as if Snow White came strolling by with her seven _fucking_ dwarfs!

Wait…speaking of dwarfs…

Levi’s home!

That’s _right_! Snow White really _did_ come walking by this morning!

With that, my body involuntarily shoots up in bed. Levi must have already gotten up because he isn’t sleeping at my side anymore. I jump out of bed and feel butterflies attack the insides of my stomach. I press my hands to my abdomen and release an irregular sigh. A smile twitches up across my face before I dash out of the room.

I begin to walk when I hear stirring emerge from the living room. With a hand nervously positioned to my forearm, I press forward. I peak over the couch to see Levi siting on the floor with a thing of elephant leaves in his hands. Sure enough, he was attentively tuned into the radio.

“What’cha doing?” I ask out of curiosity. My face is set on fire when he moves his bluish-gray orbs move up onto me. He’s as gorgeous as I have always remembered him to be: he still has porcelain skin, light eyes, and clean-looking hair.

His serious expression loosens when our eyes link. He pats the spot next him, indicating me to sit with him. A huge grin breaks across my lips while I wholeheartedly put his suggestion into action. “You look as goofy as usual.” He tells me (totally ignoring the fact that I asked him a question) then scans over my hair, “ _Tsk_ , when was the last time you washed the mop on you head?”

“Uh…yesterday.” I mutter silently.

“You lying little brat,” He gets up and grabs me by the ear. “Ow, fuck! What are you doing?!” Levi glares up at me through the corners of his eyes. “ _You_ will have your clean hair.”

And so I am dragged off into the bathroom by the ear.

 _Yay_ …Levi’s home…along with his strict rules…

**…**

Levi had forced me down onto a stool before leaving the room for a minute.

I find myself sitting patiently for the man to come back. When he does finally show up again, he brings a huge bucket full of lukewarm water with him. He sets the bucket on the ground then grabs my sponge, soaking it with water. “I thought I was just washing my hair.” I state irritably. He raises a brow then mockingly laughs at me. “Yeah, you _were_ , until I saw the dirt on your face, too.” I blush, remembering back to the day previous. I forgot to clean off the smudge mark from when my face decided to become ‘friendly’ with the earth. _Yikes_. “What are you waiting for? Strip, Jaeger.”

Woah, _woah_! _That_ catches me off guard!

“W-What? I can wash myself!” I shout, “I’m not a baby!” My face is probably the darkest shade of red that it can possibly be. I just want to hide in the corner and keep Levi from seeing my embarrassment.

“Obviously you _are_ a baby if you can’t fucking clean yourself. Now, _strip_ before I strip you myself!” He snaps. It only takes that one snap to get me to jump up. I begin to undress when, to my surprise, Levi turns and faces the other way while I do so. He then tosses me a towel and says, “When you’re done, wrap that around your waist. Save yourself the embarrassment.” _What’s that supposed to mean?_ I think to myself. _I can’t tell if he is saying that out of kindness, or if he is just trying to insult me._

When done, I sit back down on the stool. “A-Alright—I’m done.” Levi turns around then approaches me yet again. I can’t make eye contact with him. If I do, I may lose it—if you know what I mean… _ugh_. If not, think about it.

He picks up the sponge again then places it against my burning face. Slowly he strokes it against my right cheek, clearing away the filth that marks my skin. _Has he noticed how red my face is yet?_ I wonder, as he scrubs every particle of dirt that could possibly take place on my face, away. “You should clean yourself a lot more often. You have a decent face, so why hide it behind all that filth?” My heart skips behind my chest. Slowly, I allow my eyes to meet with his. He slightly smiles before adding, “But knowing you, you’ll always be a dirtball.”

“W-Will not!” I stutter. Shit. That won’t do. “I’ll…start cleaning myself regularly again.” I push out past my throat. I really mean it, too. I need to look nice if I want to hang around Levi, anyway. He deserves the best after all.

“Glad to hear it.” He replies before sliding the sponge down my neck, giving me the shivers. I uncontrollably shoot my hand into my hair and let out an uneven breath. Levi laughs then joshes, “What? You like it when I wash you?” He cracks a mysterious smirk, “I know the perfect spot that’ll get you moaning my name every single time, if you’d like.”

A spark is sent flying up through my body the same second I quickly push the sponge away from my tingling flesh. “Asshole!” I yell before hiding my face behind one of my large hands. _Dammit_ …does he have any fucking clue how strongly I feel towards him? Shit like that really gets my imagination kicking, which is an _extremely_  dangerous thing.

Let’s just put it like this: my mind is _far_ from pure.

Levi slaps the sponge down to my chest and grouchily responds, “I’m just twisting your panties, so calm yourself! You sure are a sensitive piece of something else, aren’t you?”

I grumble under my breath and decide not to answer back.

Levi lets out a long breath of air after a few minutes of me ignoring him and chooses to try and smooth out the tension between us. “I’m genuinely sorry, Eren, so please relax.” For Levi to use ‘please’ means that he really is trying to fix things. I display a tiny smile and assure him, “You’re forgiven.” He smiles back down at me then tosses the sponge into the bucket full of water. “Cool,” He states with eyes tinted blue. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I’m going to go get some more fresh water so we can clean your hair once and for all.” I nod right before he walks out of the room for a second time. When I hear the front door close behind him, I say aloud, “God, I love him…”

**…**

While Levi was scrubbing at my hair, I decided to start up a conversation. “So, what were those elephant leaves that you were ripping up earlier for?”

“Oh, those? They’re for another puzzle that we can work on tonight, if you’re up for it.”

“Sweet. Let’s do it. We haven’t done one together for a few months now, so it’ll be fun.”

“Cool. I’m looking forward to it.” While focusing on my hair, he throws in a, “Would you like to go for a walk with me before it gets dark out? It’ll be cooler by then.”

“With my clean body and hair? You’d seriously let me?”

“Sure, as long as you wear your boots and cover up. We don’t need you getting dirty again. Plus, I don’t want any weird bugs biting or stinging you.”

“Oh, how kind of you.” I reply with a beam.

“Shut up,” He growls. “Just say you’ll tag along.”

“Fine, _fine_! I’ll tag along with you on your ‘little excursion.’”

“Good. Either way I’d wind up dragging you along with me, anyway.” He dryly says.

“Does that mean that I never had the choice to begin with?”

“Nope,” He answers almost too easily. “We all know I’m the leader here. What I say goes.” That’s right. If we were to pick who would become the leader out of the two of us, Levi would definitely win. He’s older than me by six years and has a lot more experience when in doing things. Also, he’s still _kind of_ considered my boss—right? Even though we ran away, he did in fact tell me that I’d still be his servant no matter what.

Whatever, it doesn’t matter. He’s the leader, either way. Truthfully, I could care less.

**…**

We figured it was about six in the afternoon when we went out for our walk.

An hour passed already, but that didn’t stop us. We kept walking through the vast forest—that is until we were to reach this _huge_ cliff.

Below the missing ground in front of us is a substantial amount of water, much larger than I have ever seen it to be before in my whole entire existence. It goes out past the horizon—something you’d only ever read about in old story books. I watch as its liquid shimmers as the sun’s rays tickle down against its purity. The sky’s pink, orange, and red leisurely paints over the blue I have grown very accustomed to.

Captivated by nature’s scenic portrait, I find myself just staring off at the view that presents itself to me.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I found this while I was away. I thought this might be something you’d be interested in.” Levi's gracious voice blends in all too perfectly with the breathtaking sight that I am so very blessed to be able to even see.

Abruptly, thoughts of my old entrapment cross my mind again. Six months ago, I was being dragged by shackles and was being forced to meet the king’s criteria. After performing my duties successfully, I was then thrown into an underground prison that was supposedly considered my ‘home.’ Every single night I was bounded by both my wrists and ankles. I remember that my restraints were so tight that I’d have to ask Levi to loosen them up for me after some _freak_ from the military would put them on.

The memories of me being stepped on like I was nothing more than a mere animal…I don’t miss them. I am a _human_ being—but to the people in Arc Sina and Rose, I am a rabid _monster_ ready to kill at any moment. I have learned to contain the titan within me, yet they still insist that I’m ‘viscous,’ that I’m ‘scary.’ If I’m _so_ fucking scary, why would I even bother to help them? Why would I be so determined to bring peace, rather than chaos? Why would I love the Recon Corps and the people in it so much?

“Eren?” Levi calls over to me. I bring my eyes down to my wrists and remember that there are no cuffs there anymore, though I can still feel them as clear as day. “Levi…there are no shackles.” I state. He quizzically gazes over at me with those striking eyes that he so strongly possesses. “Yeah, no more shackles.” He confirms. I clasp my left wrist within my right hand and feel warm, salty water brim my eyes. A huge grin burns across my face. “I’m _free_.” I utter, looking back up at the painting set ahead of me. “Only the free can see something _this_ beautiful…” My tears only worsen the more I acknowledge the truth. Before I know it, I’m silently sobbing against one of my fists. My body trembles, feeling both strong and weak at the same time. Levi frowns over at me before hesitantly reaching his arms out around my taller form. His head unwinds against my shoulder before letting out a long, troubled breath. “I will never let you feel the weight of shackles ever again. I promise.” He pats and strokes my back reassuringly. “The closest thing you’ll ever feel to being a prisoner again is me calling you my servant.”

I laugh and smile warmly against his good-smelling hair. _This_ is why I love him…

“Being your servant doesn’t bother me,” I confess. “I like the fact that you’re still my leader.” I feel my ears turn pink. “Also, thanks for coming back.” Levi pulls away then crosses his arms in front of him. He stares up at me. “I’d have to be a real dick to leave your sorry-ass here in the forest all by yourself.”

“Hey, I have managed to live _four_ months by myself without any trouble.”

“Yeah, just _barely_. May I remind you that you were a _dirtball_ earlier this morning?”

“I still _survived_ though.”

“Yes, but you would have died sooner or later with a broken heart, anyway.”

“How would you know?” I cross my arms now too, sizing myself up against the short, but intimidating Levi. “I _don’t_ know, but I’m good at predicting things, though.”

“Is that so?” Excitement rings out past my voice, “How’s the future looking for us then?”

“ _Beautiful_. We will find things that we have never seen before and will cherish every last second of them.” He tells me with a smirk. His words sound too good to be true—but now that I think about it, I wouldn’t have seen the sight unfolding before us if it wasn’t for Levi.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You and I will be traveling again soon. If you like what you see here, _wait_ until you see the things I have seen while traveling. There are places—no, _towns_ that we can claim all to ourselves!” A big smile eases up onto his face; the sight is a rarity. “What do you say, Jaeger? Want to see the _real_ world for the first time?”

My eyes broaden and my chest throbs at his enthusiasm.

“ _Hell_ yeah I do! I want to see every hidden corner that there possibly is!” Levi holds out a hand to me and I take it. We shake on it, setting things in stone. Man, I haven’t been so excited over something for quite some time now! It's really refreshing.

.

.

.

Watch out world! Levi and I are coming to pull the veil right off of your head! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like promised, here's chapter two! ^^


	3. The Last

 

When Levi and I got home from our walk, we figured that we’d celebrate with a nice meal and a thing of red wine. He brought it home with him yesterday—but the question still stands. Where the hell did he get it from?

  
While eating the turkey I caught two days ago, I decide to bring the matter up. My curiosity beats my mind ragged every time my eyes fixate on the bottle of bitter substance. “So…where did you find the wine?” I ask. _Yes, that is good._ I think to myself. _It’s simple, but sweet._

Levi glances up from his meal and nonchalantly states, “Hanji gave it to me.”

I nearly choke on the contents of my dinner before involuntarily blurting, “What?! You _met_ with her?” Levi presses a graceful finger up against one of his temples and clicks his tongue to his teeth with sheer annoyance arising across his firm expression. “You’re _so_ freakin’ loud.”

“But you met with Hanji! What did she say? What did she do?”

“Shut it _brat_ and maybe I’ll _explain_.” When in seeing Levi grow impatient, I silence myself and attentively listen. “Good… _geesh_. You get too worked up over things.” He says, but as soon as it comes out of his mouth, it travels through one ear and out the other. I am too interested in the story he’s about to tell me to have to pay attention to minor details.

“Well, that same night before you and I escaped the walls, I met with Hanji. I told her about her plans.” He begins. “You know just as well as I do that we can trust her, and truthfully, it’s better to have at least _one_ person that knows of our whereabouts just in case we ever do need anything.”

“Okay,” I absorb, “But how did the two of you know when and where to meet up?”

“We planned it beforehand. Hanji and I set a fixed location to where we will meet up at least once month. She catches me up on things and brings me goods that’ll help benefit you and me as long as we live out here.” He takes a long sip of his wine then sighs contently.

“Doesn’t the military find it suspicious whenever she randomly leaves the perimeters?”  
The amused Levi laughs, “Absolutely not! Shoot, they think the woman is a complete nutcase! They don’t care what the hell she does, as long as it doesn’t mess with their line of work.” He shakes his head back and forth disapprovingly, “They probably think she goes out searching for a new titan to ‘adopt’ whenever she does leave the base though.”

Suddenly, it’s quiet.

There are still so many things I would like to know—but among them, there’s only two that I must gather my stomach together in order to ask.

“How…How has she been?” It doesn’t matter how strange the woman is, I still think of her as family. She’s been there for me whenever I need someone to vent to and she always tries to give me advice when I’m in a stump (though she manages to relate it to her ‘titan family,’ somehow).

“She misses us, of course, but otherwise, she’s hanging in there.”

“Oh—I see.” It’s the only thing I can think to answer at that moment. “Did she happen to mention anything about Mikasa, or Armin?” I’d be a liar to say that I didn’t miss them. I consider them my blood siblings and always will, so I can’t help but worry about my adopted sister and my best friend.

Levi doesn’t say anything—and _that_ makes me nervous.

“Levi…Tell me. Did she say anything about them?”

“She did.”

“Please, I must know then!” I suddenly feel anxious. “I can handle it…I really can.”

Levi sighs then pours himself some more wine. “What do you think, Eren? How do _you_ think they’re doing? You know them better than anyone else.” He touches his glass up to his perfectly shaped lips, “They’re distraught.”

I feel my heart break on the spot.

“…But they’re also happy.” He adds after he consumes another mouthful of alcohol.

“Huh?”

“They’re happy you escaped; they’re happy that you can finally live as you choose.” Levi elaborates, “They just want you to be able to smile again.” Levi formulates a small, compassionate smile while his eyes ease down at the tabletop. “Hanji told them that you ran away with me because she figured that you’d want them to know. She said that when she broke the news to them, they started crying. They weren’t just crying tears of sadness, though—but tears of _happiness_ , too.”

_Mikasa…Armin…_

My heart aches painfully at the thought of them crying. It hurts knowing how much they really care for me. I go to take a chug at my wine when Levi coolly and collectedly takes the glass straight out of my hand. He sets it aside before getting up. He walks over to me and forces my head against his stomach while his hands slide up into my hair, holding them there. The sudden affection takes me by surprise. “Alcohol isn’t the answer,” He stresses. “But human interaction can be.” The way it comes out of his mouth is a little funny, so I figure that I might as well comment about it first, “You just pulled a Hanji on me.”

His body goes stiff.

“ _Never_ compare me to that science freak _ever_ again.” I wince, but am pleasantly surprised when he doesn’t punish me with a whack alongside the head.

I sense a _teeny-weeny_ change within him.

I chuckle against his warm, cotton shirt. “It’s not a bad thing—actually, it’s a rather _good_ thing.” Levi stares down at me with a question mark pasted to his forehead. “Explain.”

“Well, you see, I love Hanji for always being so kind to me. These days, not too many people like me anymore—so I really appreciate the fact that she has stuck around for so long.” I sorrowfully smile then take my chances. I enfold my arms around Levi’s legs and hug him close. He squirms a little, but doesn’t say anything about the action. I add, “You haven’t left my side, either. I don’t understand why, but I’m thankful you haven’t.”

“Eren…everyone loves you, just some a little more than others. The arrogant pricks that haven’t come to their senses yet don’t know what they’re missing out on—so keep positive.” He pets my hair then says, “I’ll always here for you when you need me. I’ll always be right next to you if you ever need to talk.” He removes his hands from my hair then cups my face so that I’m looking straight up at him. “And, as far as your sister and brother go, don’t worry. You’ll see them again. You definitely will.” He then hesitantly pulls his hands away.

I let a grin ease back into his shirt. I feel those same stupid butterflies swarm my stomach.

_I love you._

I just want to say it _so_ fucking bad, but I power my mouth shut.

_Not yet, Eren Jaeger, not yet._

Though now is the perfect opportunity to tell him—I know he’s still not entirely ready for anything like that, yet. Like I have mentioned before, we will act all ‘lovey’ towards one another, but we truthfully don’t expect to carry the feelings off into larger seas all too so soon. Those three words hold a lot of value to the two of us, so we’re not going to waste them whenever we get the chance to.

We’ll both know when the time comes. The moment will be absolutely _flawless_.

**_…_ **

After we get done eating, we clean off the kitchen table.

Once the task at hand is complete, we head off down the hall and towards the game room. It’s another pitch black night in the forest. The only light comes from the twinkling stars from high above. To me, they aren’t too reliable, but to Levi, they’re a sense of beauty and direction.

Anyway, our house isn’t much better. It’s so damn dark that I trip over Levi _three_ times while walking to the game room. _Three damn times_ …Do you realize how bad my death sentence already is? With every stumble, I lose a year.

Oh, _wait_. Make that _four_ years. The shorter man eventually gets pissed off. “I swear on _your_ life Jaeger, you bump into me one more _fucking_ time and I’ll ensure your death.” His voice is venomous. The hand he clutches the lantern with irritably trembles.

“Why would you swear on _my_ life when I would already be dead?” It doesn’t make sense.

“That way I have a backup just in case you don’t die the first time.”

Alright… _that_ actually makes sense. Sadly.

“Smart thinking.” I reply with an impressed nod, though the comment makes me stiff.

He tosses a smirk back over his shoulder at me, “Thanks. I think so, too.”

When his dreamy eyes glint behind the lantern’s soft flames, they are as sexy as hell.

Oh, he is attractive… _very_ attractive.

**…**

“Hm…I can’t figure out where this piece should go.” I murmur, in a state of deep concentration. Levi looks around then points to an open spot on the ground. “I think that leaf goes here because mine matches up with yours.” He explains. “That just leaves us with one leaf left.” I place it down where the man’s finger is and, sure enough, it fits perfectly in the small-pieced, extremely hard puzzle—as does his. He’s correct yet again!

“Wow, you’re pretty good at this!” I laugh, “You should make puzzles for a living.”

He chuckles then picks up the last leaf, holding it within the lantern’s light. It reveals the leaf’s inners, especially its complex veins. I can’t help but stare at it for some odd reason. Actually, Levi and I both can’t help but stare at the leaf.

The whole house is put on mute. Even our quiet breathing sounds too incredibly loud.

“Eren, what would you have been?” The sound of Levi’s voice startles me. It catches me off guard, but that isn’t the only reason behind the small jump. His question surprises me, too.

“Hm…I have never really thought about it before.” I confess. “If there were no titans around, I guess I’d become a physical therapist since I like lending a hand to those less fortunate than us.”

He nods, “I can see you doing that.”

“What about you?” I wonder aloud. At this point, I am lying on my stomach with my head propped up into the palms of my hands. My long legs cross as I bend them up into the air. I’m extremely curious to find out what career Levi would have pursued in a ‘titan-less’ world.

“I’d be a singer and dancer.” His response stuns me at first, but then turns to excitement.

“That’s awesome! I had no idea that you like to sing and dance!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t go around telling others that on a normal basis, Eren. What would people think if they were to find out that the leader of the Recon Corps was a performer? I wouldn’t sound all that scary anymore, would I now? All my efforts to gain the title would go to waste.”

I sigh.

“First of all, you _were_ the leader of the Recon Corps. Second of all, I don’t understand why you have to be ‘scary’ to feel content in front of everyone.” I begin. “You have such a great personality underneath that mask. You should show it more often.” I mischievously grin. “But knowing you, you’ll always be ‘scary.’” I took his own words and spit them back at him. The only difference is that I had slightly altered them around a little bit.

Levi’s eyes light up as he chortles. “I see what you did there you clever, _asshole_.”

I reach out to him and steal the leaf he had been holding, away. His bluish-gray orbs watchfully observe my face while I put the last piece of nature into its place.

“I did it on purpose.” I state.

“I know you did.” Levi tells me, mimicking my arms’ position to the precise. He now sits hunched over with his elbows planted firmly against the ground; his chin easily eases charmingly into his soft palms. His poised disposition violently lashes out at my heart.

Through the near darkness of the night, we gaze at one another; sexual tension charging the air between us.

Eventually, I convince myself to speak up again. “I love people that can sing and dance. They’re usually very beautiful both inside and out.” _What am I doing? Am I really trying to indirectly say that I love him right now?_ I muse. Dammit… _I’m so stupid. I just can’t take ‘no’ for an answer._ I hastily add (trying to cover my last failure up), “They’re talents I’ll never have—but I thoroughly enjoy watching and listening to other people do them though.”

“I’ll teach you one day. I’ll teach you how to do both.” Levi instantly replies.

My face warms at the thought of the man instructing me about the two things I have always longed to test out. “Really? You’d do that for me?” I feel myself becoming a little bashful. “I don’t want to force you to do anything you are not comfortable doing…” I trail. My ears become burning infernos the more I let my imagination run wild.

“Sure. I’d love to.” Then I hear him irritably mumble, “Even though you’re a fucking giant.” Catching onto what he says, I happily grin a toothy beam at him. “Isn’t that okay? I’ll just play king while you play queen.”

“Yeah, keep _dreaming_ , you perverted _brat_.”

“Awh, come _on_!” I whine.

“If you’re my servant, obviously you’re below me, which makes _you_ the queen.”

I now slump my whole body down against the cool, wooden floors and let out a long breath of air. “Fine, _fine_ —but just you watch! _I_ will be the one swiping _you_ off of _your_ feet one day!”

“Save it for your wet dreams.” Levi tells me before rolling his eyes.

 _Hmph!_ _Maybe I fucking will!_

That bastard…

**…**

When did it happen, you ask? When did we start acting so flirtatiously towards one another? Well, it was a gradual thing, actually. While I was a part of the Recon Corps, I grew incredibly close with my superior. Though it was a rocky start at first, we had soon realized that we loved each other’s company more than we loved ourselves. Often, I would assist Levi on his duties a lot more than I had beforehand and would even catch a bite to eat with him from time-to-time. We had joked around with one another all the time too, to the point where it had become all very comfortable. Our comedy act was designed to help cheer the two of us up, but soon it had reached the whole entire base, too.

Within the course of a year, our jokes had become more and more—well, _sexual_. We hadn’t really cared and actually preferred it, strangely enough. With the new addiction on our hands, we had found that we hadn’t been able to stop. Our comments always escalated to something ‘lovie-dovie,’ or something extremely ‘sexy.’

Then, _well_ , came the touching.

We had begun to break further and further away from our comfort zones just so that we could experience the exhilarating feeling of human interaction. Our touches were always _gentle_ and _sweet_ ; hardly ever dirty, to be completely honest. We just wanted to see what it would be like to show physical affection towards one another. Plus, we had been curious to see how the other would react.

I remember the day Levi had gallantly slid up behind me while we were at his place, and laced his fingers between mine.

I had felt a jolt of love and desire shoot about every portion of my insides.

Leisurely, I had turned and wrapped my arms around him, hugging the man tightly within my grasp. The two of us stayed like that for a while until we were forced to pull a part.

And so, that day, mine and Levi’s relationship changed a little bit…

We had confessed that we truly cared for one another.

**…**

Levi and I are now lying in comfort of our bed, buried within a sea of sheets. We called quits for the night after finishing up our puzzle. We are so exhausted that we can just barely keep our weary eyes open.

While lying there in the dark, I realize something.

We leave tomorrow.

Emotions hit me like a bitch. I forgot that he and I concluded during our walk back home that today would be our last day in the house. The next morning, we would pack up a few little things before heading out. A twinge of hurt stabbed at my chest. After tomorrow, we will never see this place again; we will never see our sweet, little, log home ever again. The only thing left would be the memories weaved within its walls, as well as our minds.

“Eren?” Levi’s voice interrupts my burdened mind that has become submissive to my thoughts.

“Hm?”

“Are you okay? It sounds like you’re crying.”

“Huh? No! I’m not crying.” My florid face burns at the comment.

Suddenly, there’s a soft sound and ruffling of sheets. Levi turns his lantern on then looks at me. “Bullshit! Your eyes are all red and puffy!” I carry a hand up to my eyes and feel them. “Oh, you’ve _got_ to be shitting me right now.” I unintentionally say aloud. I toss the comforter up over my head and call out, “I’m fine! It’s probably just my allergies acting up again.” Of course that’s a lie. If I’m crying, it’s probably over the fact that we’ll be leaving the next day.

I hear Levi let out a long, frustrated breath. Then, something heavy presses down against my body. I am being pinned by the hips while trapped by hands that rest on either side of my head. My heart pounds quickly against my ribcage. It’s a painfully delicious feeling.

Dare I remove the blankets from over my head? I dare not.

“Eren, you’re lying.”

“No, I’m—”

“Jaeger, just tell me, will you?”

Silence…It lasts a minute or two before I finally give in.

“I…” I trail. I didn’t want him to laugh at me. “I’m going to miss it here.”

It’s quiet.

Levi removes the hands trapping my head below the sheets, but still straddles me.

“If it makes you feel any better, we can just stay here instead. We don’t have to go.”

“N-No! I really want to go exploring with you—I’m just going to miss it here a little bit, that’s all…Shoot, we’ve been living here for almost half a year now. How will I not miss it?”

Before I know it, I feel the blanket over my head peel away from my face. When my face is exposed, I avert my gaze off to my side. I can’t bring myself to look at him. The whole situation is pretty embarrassing.

“Eren, look at me.”

“I refuse.” I stubbornly reply.

“I love you.”

My heart wavers. My eyes shoot up at him. “Really?!”

“Got you.” He responds. Disappointment then courses through veins, as does anger.

“Fuck you!” I shout, trying to shove the man off of my hips. “Get _off_ me!” I growl.

“ _I refuse_.” He mocks. “But seriously, stop struggling for a second and just listen to me.”

“I hate you! You’re an ass! I won’t listen to a _thing_ you have to say!” I feel more tears violently rush threateningly into my eyes. Why would he say that? He obviously knows how I feel about him! Right?

Damn, what a douchebag!

“I’m not in love with you yet—but I feel strongly for you.” He explains, “There’s something there. There really is because I can feel it whenever I’m with you; whenever you laugh, whenever you smile, whenever you talk…it’s _always_ there.”

I stop wiggling beneath him and, well, _decide to listen_.

He touches his hands to my face and cups it, stroking his thumbs softly against my damp cheeks. “No one has ever gotten me to laugh and smile so much before in my whole entire life. Only you have that ability, so you best be damn proud!”

I gaze up at him and can see that he’s clearly pouring his heart out. After all, it shows across his face dusted in a light shade of pink. This is a very, very rare thing for him to be saying, so I quickly discard the argument we are having and I breathe this one in instead.

“I…don’t know what to say.” I tell him.

It’s the truth. I don’t know whether or not I should confess to him right then and there or just not say anything. Eventually, with much thought, I add, “I feel strongly for you, too…When you’re not around, you’re always on my mind. Those four months you were away, I _really_ missed you.”

I winged it. I decided that it would feel much better to get some of my feelings out to him than none at all. And it does.

A genuine smile settles along his peach lips. He flops back down beside me again—but this time he pulls me into his arms. He rests his face in my clean hair and contently sighs.

His breath gives me the chills. Even my face falls victim to the relaxed exhale. He slowly rubs my back for a few minutes then proceeds to fondle with my brown hair.

It feels _so_ good…

“See? You get more affection when your hair is all nice and clean.” Levi whispers.

“Mhm…I like it.” I murmur back. My face and ears are on fire, but I pay no mind to it. I’m getting use to feeling embarrassed.

Well, at least it’s just the two of us. It could be worse.

Gradually, his graceful fingertips glide through my brown locks. I memorize the rhythm.

Up, down, right; up, down, left, repeat…

It’s very soothing. It doesn’t surprise when my eyelids begin to close. Before they can do so though, I cuddle up against Levi’s body and position my head to his chest.

_…Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub…_

The sound of his heart sends me off into a pit of tranquil darkness. I’m slipping under.

I’m almost asleep now when I feel something soft and feathery press to my forehead…

A set of loving lips bid me goodnight.

.

.

.

I dream of heaven; a heaven where Levi is the god.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! I hope you all like it! c: I really put a lot of work into it!  
> My publisher set me an email the other day saying how the first book in my series is being edited right now! ^^ Just wanted to share!  
> Anyway, if you're all interested, here's my deviantArt account! I would love to be able to talk to you all more, that is if you have one! ^^  
> http://alice-delilah.deviantart.com/


	4. So Long...For Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My Eren and Levi feels are tingling~!

The next morning is busy. We gather all the substantial things we’ll need most during our ‘adventure,’ then head out—but before we do, I turn within the doorway of the house and look back at the coziness of the small home. My teal-green eyes soak the sight in one last time.

 _Goodbye_ , I muse.

I turn away and shut the door behind me.

“Do you have everything?” Levi asks. “I have all my shit.” He motions a hand down at his 3D maneuver gear that’s tightly secured at the sides of his thin waist. He made me put mine on earlier, as well. We figure that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“I think so. Run by the list one more time.”

“Two hunting knives.”

“Check.”

“Bow and arrows.”

“Check.”

“Spare clothes.”

“Yep.”

“Smile.” Levi says.

“Huh?” I ponder over the word as if it’s foreign.

“ _Smile_ ,” He repeats and adds, “Laugh?”

“Y-Yeah, I have both, so don’t worry.”

“Bullshit. You still don’t want to leave, do you?” He reads my mind effortlessly. Levi then averts his gaze from me and says, “…What if I were to tell you that we can come back here after our excursion? Would that make you happy?”

My eyes broaden and almost sparkle at the idea.

Does he really mean it? We’ll come back?

“Really? Can we?” I can just barely contain my contentment.

“Of course—so stop gawking at me like you’re some fucking big-eyed puppy.”

“S-Sorry,” I reply with florid cheeks, “I’m just really happy.” He sighs.

“It’s fine, I guess. Now, stop moping around and get your ass walking already!”  

“Yes, sir!” I shout enthusiastically before skipping up to his side.

It was the start of a _long_ walk…

**…**

I’m humming a soft, little tune when Levi decides to join in. Together, we are strolling through the titanic forest with the sound of our muffled voices filling the depths of our throats. It gives us something to do, plus it is pretty fun.

“ _Please_ , won’t you sing?” I beg down to the ‘fun-sized’ man.

“Right now?”

“Yes!”

“No.” He sternly answers with a roll of his smoky-gray eyes.

“Why not?” I whine.

“Because I don’t _feel_ like it, brat.” He then murmurs, “Plus, I won’t sing until I know...”

“What’s that supposed to me?” I question the twenty-four year old’s quiet words. “None of your damn business.” He sourly responds. I cringe and feel a cold chill slide down my spine. “Alright, but I would like to know when you _do_ decide to sing. You _have_ to tell me then.”

“You’re so persistent…and stupid.”

“ _Heh_ ,” A huge grin plants itself to my lips. “Yet, you’re still here!”

“Unfortunately…I should have left while I had the chance.” Levi mumbles. I laugh. “But you didn’t, did you?” Levi shoots a cold glare up at me and continues to lead us along our way. “I can _still_ leave if you piss me off enough. Now, shut it you little fu—” All of a sudden, Levi’s foot gets caught beneath a tree’s root, sending him off towards the forest’s floor. His maneuver gear is so heavy that it could really hurt him if he falls.

I grab him from behind and hoist him back up by the chest; my hands clutching the straps that keep his maneuver gear in place. When he’s back on two feet again I peek over his shoulder and let loose a nervous sigh. “Careful! Geesh, Corporal…Your maneuver gear could have really hurt you!” It takes me a moment to register the expression across his face—but when I do, my whole body burns with a horde of passionate flames.

His face is both rosy and flustered. Against my left hand, I can feel his heart racing behind the ribcage that castles the major organ close. “H-Hey, are you okay?” I stutter out, feeling my own soul swoon. My mind abruptly begins to draw up many different scenarios concerning the two of us.

My hands tremble against the leather straps. I fight against my own demons and tell myself that I’m going to let go. I’m going to release him from my grasp. Gradually, my fingers start to unwind, but before I can pull away, Levi slaps both of my hands off of him. He doesn’t say anything, but just presses on through the forest as if nothing ever happened.

There’s an uncomfortable silence between us for well over an hour.

The whole time, I wonder why he reacted so enigmatically. I force myself to think that it’s nothing more than him just feeling humiliated for tripping over a tree’s root that was so apparent to the human eye.

 _Yes. That’s it. Nothing more._ I confirm.

With that in my mind, I begin to hum again. Soon, that hum turns into a song, in which I sing aloud, not really caring to whether or not Levi hears.

“ _Mother, oh, Father,_

_Can’t you see?_

_I’m in love with a beauty,_

_I wonder if Beauty loves me,_

_Mother, oh, Father,_

_Your hearts are uneasy,_

_Your baby has fled,_

_He is destined to wed,_

_Mother, oh, Father,_

_Can’t you see?_

_I have fallen for—_ ”

Levi cuts me off and sings, “— _a man who’s five-foot-three._ ”

It’s silent for a moment—right before the two of us begin to boisterously crack up.

“I didn’t think of that, so I’m sure as hell glad you did!” I wipe a hysterical tear from one of my eyes, “Damn, that shit is hilarious!” Levi folds his arms together and smiles larger than he usually does. It’s breathtaking.

“It had to be sung,” He explains, “By the way, your voice isn’t half bad. Did you make that song up on the spot?”

I flush and muster up a, “Thanks—and yeah, I did.” I place a hand on the back of my head, “Did you like it?” Levi slows his pace so that he’s walking beside me. “Yes. It’s beautiful.” He passes me a sideways glance and smiles gently, “Don’t forget that one, okay?”

I perplexedly nod. “Sure.”

“Good because I’d like to make a song with you—and that could be a great start to it.” He elaborates. His feet halt, leading mine to do the same. “Levi…” I mutter, feeling the lure of his words capturing me.

He turns away from my weakened state so that he can look up at this huge tree with thick branches to it. “We’ll be camping here for the night.” He tells me. I involuntarily reach out to him, grabbing his wrist. “Wait—I need to tell you something first.” He looks over his shoulder. “You—can really sing well!”

He raises a brow at me. “I barely even sang anything, plus, that was nothing compared to what I can usually do. Wait until you hear my _real_ voice.” A side of his lips curl, “Your panties will surely drop then.”

He’s so embarrassing…

“Oh? How much you want to bet that they won’t?”

“There’s nothing to bet because I know they _will_.”

“Yeah, sure.” My face is beat red. There’s no hiding how I’m really feeling at the moment. Levi already knows of my embarrassment and feeds off of it.

“I guess we’ll have to see when the day comes.” Levi answers.

Yes…Yes we will—that is if I don’t die of humiliation first.

**…**

We are in a tree.

 _Yes_ , the one Levi was inspecting earlier. Tonight, we will be _sleeping_ in the fucking tree.

_Oh joy, oh joy!_

Here I am panicking. Big time. Not only are we twenty feet off of the ground, but we are suffocating, too—well, at least _I_ am…kind of. Levi used his rope and tied me up by the waist to a sturdy branch. He then worked on himself on the one next to mine. Shoot, of all the ways to get tied up and I get tied up like _this_ …Not exactly ‘ _ideal_ ’ if you were to ask me.

Anyway, it’s so tight that I’m becoming a little claustrophobic. As much as I want to loosen the rope up just a tad, I know that the possibility of me falling would increase—and I truthfully would much rather be smothered by ropes then fall out of this damn tree. And, so, my ‘restraints’ would continue to strangle me.

Darkness soon cloaks the sky above the forest, leaving us to see nothing. It terrifies me, just a little bit at first, but I get over very quickly.

So many noises emerge from all around us: crickets, owls, cicadas, the rustling of braches. It actually sounds as if an owl may be straight above us, a little ways up. As long as if doesn’t poop on me, we’re cool.

At my side, Levi isn’t all that far away. I can reach out and touch him very easily.

While laying there, I feel something touch my wrist. I jump and for once I am thankful for having a thing of rope to keep me in place. I don’t yell and try not to panic because I’m unsure if Levi’s asleep yet.

But that’s when I feel _really_ stupid though.

The mysterious _thing_ slithers down to my hand and into my palm. I then realize it’s not some weird creature trying to become ‘friendly’ with me, but something _much_ more comforting.

A hand.

Fingers tangle with mine while a thumb playfully strokes at my thumb.

_…Up, down, up down…_

The small affection makes me smile. I turn my head against the tree in hopes to try to see Levi, but can’t. Not knowing what to say (without ruining the moment), I keep my mouth shut. I give his hand a quick squeeze before testing my luck. I carry it up to my face, leisurely pressing small, chaste kisses to his knuckles. My lips work all over his hand and can’t stop.

Beside me, I hear his breath hitch. “E-Eren…what do you think you’re doing?” He speaks as if he’s trying to catch his breath; as if I have been stealing kisses from his lips the whole time.

“Kissing your hand,” I state matter-of-factly. “And enjoying it.”

The lively forest sings in different tones. It’s peaceful, but not as peaceful as Levi’s voice.

He doesn’t say anything for a minute or two. And when he does say something it’s totally off topic, “I’m sorry about earlier. You _know_ —when I slapped your hands away.” There’s a pause. “That was very rude of me. Not only did I push you away, but I didn’t thank you, either.”

“It’s fine, really. You don’t have to apologize.” I assure. “You were probably just surprised that you almost fell. I might have reacted the same way too if I had been in your shoes.” After that, Levi says nothing.

Half an hour passes before I hear the man whisper, “Thanks for helping me out.”

Both an apology _and_ a thank you within the same hour? It must be some sick dream.

“Anytime…” I respond, half asleep. I yawn then mumble sleepily, “You’re awfully sweet at night…It’s kind of cute…Heh…”

I then pass out with his hand still clasped in mine.

**…**

I wake to the sun peeking through the trees. The sky is both orange and pink again, leaving me to gaze up at its perfection. “So pretty…” I murmur. I detach my eyes from the view and look to my side. Levi’s not there.

I let out a grumble of annoyance, noting that I’ll have to help _myself_ get out of the tree.

I untie the tight knot Levi had put in the rope then toss it over one of my shoulders. I look down at the heights separating me from the ground then unevenly sigh. “Alright…Let’s do this.”

With one step at a time, I make my way down the tree.

When I hit the grass again, I throw a little celebration. “Fuck yeah, I’m still alive!”

I stiffly walk over to our things and toss the rope back into Levi’s bag. Afterwards, I look around, but don’t see him. I slide a hand into my hair. “I wonder where he is.”

I look around a little bit more, until I find a fairly stagnant stream of water.

Sure enough, there Levi is standing shirtless by the stream. He’s washing off his body.

My heart dances while my feet proceed before him.

When he sees me, he cracks a smirk. “’Morning, brat. Sleep well?” I laugh and rub at one of my broad shoulders. “I’m a little stiff, but other than that I’m golden.” I stand at his side now and watch him while he washes both of his arms. To my surprise though, his right hand is still dry. He’s cleaning himself only with his left.

I take notice and grin hotly.

_What? Does he not want to wash my kisses away or something?_

It makes me optimistic for the future.

“Did I mention that your timing is great? Now you can take a bath.” Levi’s voice tells me.

He grabs handfuls of shirt then flings me into the clear water. The second my body hits the cold liquid, I’m wide awake. I shoot back to the surface, gasping air back into my lungs. “I-I-It’s—f-fucking f-freezing!” I roar. I leap out of the crystalline water, shaking like a leaf. “W-What the _hell_ was that for?!”

“There’s your payback for taking advantage of me last night.”

I’m no longer optimistic about the future.

“W-What the actual fuck? When did I ever take advantage of you?!”

“When you were making out with my hand, you nasty, little shit!”

“If it was so ‘ _nasty_ ,’ why haven’t you gotten that hand wet?” I shout.

Gradually, his ears and cheeks turn a light shade of red. “I did already! It’s just dry now!”

“Oh, yeah? Is that so?” I furrow my brows then smirk. “If that’s true, wash it again so I can see for myself! It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”

The man’s eyes turn a stormy gray as he pulls me down by the hem of my shirt, so that I’m staring straight into his cold, globular spheres. I won’t blink and I won’t back down now. “You know kid, you sure have some guts to say some pretty ‘high-and-mighty’ shit to me.” He growls, “I don’t have to prove _anything_ to you, so don’t you fucking _dare_ order me around.” He shoves me down into the grass then positions a foot onto my shoulder. “Servants don’t talk back to their masters.”

I stare up at him and don’t say a word; I don’t blink, I don’t move.

I’m his servant. I had agreed to those circumstances—yet I feel rebellious.

I’m also a _man_ that likes when things go his way…So why am I the one on the ground?

I carefully lift Levi’s foot into my hands then place it back onto the grass before standing again. Levi opens his mouth to snap at me, but that’s when I drape my arms around his shoulders. I rest the shorter man’s head against my chest and stroke his wet, black hair with my fingertips. I want him to feel the same way I did back at the house. I want him to feel just as good.

“You’re right. I’m your servant—but I’m also a man waiting patiently for an answer.”

That’s all it takes to get his tense body to slump against mine.

“An answer…huh…?” He mutters against my wet shirt. “ _My_ answer…”

Levi’s a very intelligent guy and picks up on what I am trying to say, immediately.

“I’m not saying I need one. Not yet at least…but I’d like one someday.” I explain. He nods then pulls away. “I’ll give you one, I promise—I just need a little more time.” His florid face brightens slightly, “I’m sorry for doing this to you.”

“Don’t be. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.” I assure him with my mother’s smile. It’s loving, soft, and caring just like hers was; it’s the smile I’m so happy to possess.

He gently beams up at me then thanks me for understanding.

Maybe there _is_ some hope. Just maybe.

**…**

We venture for another week before something comes into view.

“What is that?” I ask Levi who lately has been standing closer to me than usual.

“It’s an abandoned village. I read about it back when we still lived in Rose.” He elaborates, “It’s still in pretty good shape, considering all the years no one has lived in it for.”

“Woah…” I stare out at it, mesmerized. “What’s it called?”

“It was a Japanese town named Shizukana Ekōzu.”

“Shizukana Ekōzu …What does it mean?”

“It translates to, ‘Tranquil Echoes.’”

“Sounds kind of eerie.” I state.

“Nah. The place was actually quite the opposite.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Levi rests his hands on his leather suspenders. “It was a place everyone wanted to go to apparently. That’s what the book had said.”

“I wonder why.” The small town now strikes my curiosity like a burning fire.

“You’ll love it. The village in itself is absolutely beautiful even when it’s hundreds of years old.” Levi nudges me against the arm with his elbow then smiles, “It’s one of the places I found while I was away.”

I direct my gaze back out at the mysterious buildings ahead.

“Our village?” I quiz.

“Our village _now_.” Levi confirms.

A smirk emerges across my face. “Cool! Let’s go explore it then!”

Even with my heavy maneuver gear and backpack on my shoulders, I take off running towards the new, exciting destination.

If Levi says it’s beautiful, it is.

Soon, I will find out for myself…and _man_ , I sure can’t wait to be able to!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support! I hope you're still enjoying the series!  
> The next chapter will be extra special, so I hope you'll stick around for it, heehee~! ^^


	5. Our Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feels~!  
> I think you all will really appreciate this chapter, lol! :3  
> Enjoy! <3

I ran over to the entrance of the village at a rapid pace.

I stop to read this huge, stone sign on either side of the dirt road leading into the small town:

**Shizukana Ekōzu**

**“Unleash your dreams and let them run wild.”**

“The people here…they must’ve been really nice.” I say aloud, a bit upset that I wouldn’t be able to meet any of them. I’m sure, at one point, the people that once lived here were just like the people of Shiganshina once were. We were all very happy—up until the day wall Marie was destroyed.

While pensive, it begins to rain. It has been drizzling all day, but now it’s rather heavy.

“I’m sure. All the signs in the village are pretty inspirational. There’s no doubt that they were a group of great people.” Levi comes up from behind me and gives my back a small little push forward. “Well? What are you waiting for? Listen to the damn sign already! Go wild!”

Before I know it, I’m walking into the village—then speed walking—then running.

My body is tingling with eagerness; so much so that I strip myself of both my gear and backpack. From my feet, to my legs; from my abdomen, to my chest; from my fingers, to my shoulders; from my neck, to my hair…The whole length of me ignites with this raw adrenaline that gets my blood pumping. I toss my arms up above my head and let the warm droplets of rain pound fiercely against my tan face.

Gradually, a hearty laugh escapes my lips; I go hysterical.

“I can already feel my wings of freedom! They’re right beneath the surface!” I call out, more for myself than I do for anyone else.

To me, it’s a clarification; a declaration that I will finally be able to lift my wings and fly.

**...**

Levi POV:

I stand watching the handsome boy—and am strangely caught up in the moment.

He’s fucking gorgeous. His healthy, olive skin, wet with nature’s tears; his brown locks dowsed against his ovular face; his smile as warm as a summer’s day; his stature fits to match that of a god. And, last—

Eren directs his gaze into my general direction and grins. “I can’t wait to see insides the buildings! I wonder if they’re like the ones back in Rose!”

—His eyes.

Those fucking _amazing_ eyes…They’re nothing like I have ever seen before. They’re brighter than anyone else’s; they’re just as colorful, too. I doubt anyone’s glow as much as his do, either. They’re a mixture of many different colors: teal green, forest green, bluish-gray, and light blue…Within the walls, I remember them to be drained, weary, and sad. They were the eyes of a slave; a slave tormented by the devils in which chained him, spitting the words, ‘ _monster_ ,’ and ‘ _beast_ ,’ in his face. His only happiness was when he was with his friends; when he was with the Recon Corps. Now, looking at those eyes of his today, they’re entirely different, though they’re still the same set. They’re big, bright, joyful, optimistic, and happy.

“Levi?” Eren calls over to me.

I jump. How long have I been staring at him for? _Shit_.

“What’s up, brat?” I answer.

“Are you okay? You’re kind of just… _staring_.” He’s caught me red-handed in the act.

“I was just dozing off, so don’t get your teenage hopes up.” I smooth, “We should find shelter. All of our shit is getting wet.”

“Mhm, yeah.” He agrees before walking up to his things again. He straps his 3D maneuver gear back on then throws his backpack over his broad shoulders. “Okie doki! Where to Corporal?”

Corporal?  _Really?_

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “ _Tch_ , I thought that wasn’t my ‘title’ anymore.” The kid sure has a way of confusing me, though the topic doesn’t really matter.

“Technically, it’s not—but I’d still like to call you it sometime, just to make you feel a little special.” He warmly grins, “Because now you’re only special to me.”

I roll my eyes. “Thanks for making me feel better, you little shit.”

“Ah, come on! I meant it to be a _good_ thing!” Eren complains.

“Yeah, ‘ _good thing_ ,’ my ass.” I answer before heading off towards this one building that catches my attention. In both English and Japanese, it reads: PUB.

I smirk and point over at the place. “We’ll make _this_ our headquarters.” Eren observes the outside of the building; his eyes catching the sign. He sighs. “Do you plan on getting drunk while we’re here?”

“Who knows,” I respond, “Depends on my mood.”

“I can’t though. I’m still a minor.”

“You can have a little, but no more than that.” I reassure him.

“I don’t know what my tolerance level is yet, so that’s probably for the best.”

“Would you like to find out at least once then?” I mischievously smile over at the teen.

“T-Two drunk men aren’t a good idea…” He states with a bashful blush. My heart skips a beat. As much as I want to find out what he’s like intoxicated, the kid has a point. There’s no one else in the village to watch after us. What if we were to do something stupid? What if, by some chance, a titan came strolling by while we were walking around as drunken fools?

“You’re right. That’s too dangerous.” I state. I let out an uneven sigh then grab Eren’s arm. “Alright, fine. Let’s just head inside already. We’re drenched.”

**…**

Eren’s POV:

We walk in past the saloon doors and scan our surroundings. The whole left side of the room has cubby holes aligned along the wall, containing a shit-ton of alcohol. There’s a long counter that extends from the entrance, all the way to the other side of the pub; bar stools pushed respectfully beneath the counter, so no one would trip on one.

Levi walks over to one of the bar stools and pulls one out, motioning for me to sit.

“Thanks.” I say before testing my weight against the wood. It’s still surprisingly stable.

The man walks to the flipside of the counter and searches around for a good bottle of wine. When he finds one that looks fairly decent enough, he grabs two glasses. He quickly cleans them both off before serving us though.

He pours me a little then says, “Let’s try this. I’ve never heard of it before, but it sounds pretty good.” I nod then do cheers with Levi. Slowly, I tip the glass back, allowing the bitterly sweet substance to hit my lips. I sip at it, interrogating the wine closely. “Wow, that’s delicious.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Levi speaks, taking another large sip of the drink. “Cool. We now like the wine…” He trails, “Stargazer.”

My eyes widen. “It’s not in Japanese?”

“Nah, it’s probably just an import. Either that or the people that once lived here spoke both Japanese and English—which seems most accurate to assume. I mean, the signs _are_ in both languages.”

“I see.” I simply answer.

I’m drinking my wine when Levi hastily makes his way around the counter and points over at a thing of curtains randomly hanging along one of the walls of the saloon. “This looks suspicious.” The man expresses. He hesitantly draws both sides back to reveal a set of stairs leading to a second level. “ _Woah_ ,” I jump off of my seat, “That’s _so_ awesome!” I exclaim before meeting up at Levi’s side. “Let’s go see what’s up there!”

Levi nods. “Yeah. Who knows what’s hiding.” We knew that it was a tall building, but it didn’t really look like it’d have a second story to it. After all, we didn’t see any windows on the top floor from out in the front. Maybe they were in the back of the building.

**…**

We walk upstairs and find a washroom and a master bedroom. In the master bedroom, there are two windows, a queen sized bed, and a few handmade dressers scattered all over the room. There’s more to it (obviously), but all I want to do check is out the closet. I want to see what “olden’ folks” from back in the day wore.

I curiously peek into it and am baffled by what I see. “Oh my…” I open the door all the way and call out, “Levi, check this out! Look at these clothes!” I pick out an outfit and hold it up against my body. It looks like it could actually fit me. “They’re weird looking—but cool!”

Levi turns and checks me out with a palm placed firmly on his hip.

“It looks like one of those cowboy outfits I have heard about. Supposedly, they were really popular back in the southwest.” Levi raises a skeptical brow, “But I never heard of _Japanese_ cowboy before. That’s new. Were they actually wearing these?”

“Huh…Maybe it became a ‘thing’ for the people here, too.” I muse aloud. Levi shrugs a shoulder. “Perhaps.”

Now, completely interested, he walks into the closet and rummages around until he finds a hat and a pair of shoes. He hands them to me. “Here. Now, go put all that on. I want to see you in it.”

I look down at the outfit and feel my face burn. “Seriously?”

“Here, let me rephrase that: You _will_ go put all that on right _now_.”

Hesitantly, I drop the whole outfit on the bed and zip back over to the closet. I search around until I find something for Levi to wear—and, _oh_ , how I wish to see him in it!

“Then you put one of these ‘cowboy’ outfits on, too. I’m not doing this alone, you know.”

“I won’t look good in it.” He strongly protests. “I’m warning you right now.”

“Yes, you will—so, here; just take it and put it on!” I tell him, putting a lump of an outfit into his arms. I then cradle my own before walking out of the room. I shout to him, “I’ll be changing in the washroom!”

 _Oh_ , this is going to be fascinating, to say the least…

**…**

I stare at the same mirrored twin I haven’t seen for well over a week now. He actually looks decent. His face is clean, free of all dirt marks, and looks happy. I detach my eyes from my twin’s face then I look down. The outfit is spiffy; not too shabby.

I wear a pair of light blue jeans that fit all too perfectly to be a coincidence. I cuffed them inside of my chrome-tanned, leather boots (hey, I know my leather; don’t judge). They have some strange _spikey-wheel_ thing on the back them. I wonder what they’re there for…

 _Anyway_ , I have on a red and brown checkerboard flannel that reaches loosely around my elbows. I roll them up so that they extend comfortably around my biceps and triceps. On top of that, I threw on a jean vest that is only a shade apart from being the color of my pants. I leave it unbuttoned just because, on me, it looks much better that way.

Last, I position a cowboy hat on top of head. It’s the same chrome-tanned leather that resides on my boots.

I soak in the sight before me, laughing. “They’re style wasn’t all that bad. I actually like it.”

I walk out of the washroom and back into the bedroom. Levi’s nowhere to be found. I sigh. “He’s probably downstairs drinking again.” While my boots take me to the the first level, I speak aloud, “You better be down there and dressed in that—” I turn the corner and stroll out past the curtains. My feet come to an abrupt stop.

My eyes broaden and my heart skips.

A bad case of the ‘butterflies’ emerge within the pit of my stomach.

“I am, you—” His voice wavers when he sees me, “You…” He tries again, but fails.

The major organ that lies behind my chest beats harder and louder than it ever has before. So much so that it’s almost too much to take.

My face is coded in red. “Levi,” I anxiously gnaw down on my lower lip. Every fantasy I have about him up until that point only worsens. “You look—fucking _amazing_.”

He’s wearing dark jeans with black, leather boots that reach the middle of his shins. He has on a thin, white, button-down shirt with long-sleeves; the cuffs of the shirt fold and button at his wrists. Over his light shirt is a black, leather vest that fastens its way around his torso. It fits his slender form to perfection. Finally, to top it all off, he wears a charcoal gray, cowboy hat. It looks great on top of his jet-black hair.

“You…look really hot.” He says.

My insides turn to mush.

“T-Thank you…I guess.” I coyly answer. I’m so embarrassed now that I can barely speak.

We awkwardly stand, evidently checking the other out.

Levi tips the front of his hat back, so I can now take a good look at his face. It’s dusted with a light shade of pink.

His peach-colored lips formulate a soft smile. He waves for me to follow after him when he walks to side of the pub furthest from the bar. He brings me over to this weird machine and points inside of it. “Which song?” He asks.

“Song? What is this thing?”

“It’s a jukebox. It plays music after you make a selection.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.” I reply before peering past the glass case. “I don’t know any of these songs—so I guess number three?”

“Three: Odayakana Kaze,” Levi says, “Gentle Wind.”

“That’s what it translates to?” I ask him. He nods.

“Yes, good choice,” He tells me, “It sounds like the perfect song.”

Levi starts the jukebox up (happy that it still works) then approaches the puzzled me. He reaches out, claiming my left hand within his right while his other eases down against my hip. “Mirror my position,” He instructs, “Place your right hand on my hip.” I gently nod without a word and do as he says.

“Good. You’re now ready to learn how to dance.” He explains.

**…**

My ears are toasty as I gaze down at the overly attractive man. Step-by-step, he guides me along the wooden panels of the saloon. He teaches me how I should move my feet and, when I mess up, he corrects me without getting frustrated. He hums out a steady, “ _One, two, three_ ; _one, two, three_ …”

Eventually, I grasp the concept and become better at it.

“See? You can do it. It just takes a little practice.” He assures with a small chuckle.

While we dance, my eyes never leave Levi’s.

It’s the perfect environment. We are castled within the dry saloon with the sound of heavy rain conversing all around us. We tranquilly waltz with one another while the jukebox plays gentle tunes. Our hands touch, reminding us that we are still on Earth and not yet Heaven. Our eyes link as if they have only been designed to fixate upon their lover’s face. Traces of smiles fade, but lay shimmering within the depths of our lively eyes.

The intensity of our gazes magnetize every portion of my being to him.

Memories of my cruel past deteriorate when he stares back.

A big, scary titan transforms into nothing more than a mere human. His anger, upset, demise—everything negative about him—purifies. The only thing left is a free man; a free man that takes the form of a human me. I have changed for the better…and I couldn’t have done it without Levi’s assistance.

For once, I finally feel like _me_ , all thanks to the man I am dancing with.

That is why I care so strongly for Levi. And that is why I have fallen so deeply in love with his—well, _everything_.

            Levi whispers out my name, “Eren.”

            “Hm?” I answer. He doesn’t say anything more, but just rests his head against my chest. I blush and accept his fondness with open arms. We stay like that and don’t budge from our current positions. Instead, we embrace it and continue to slowly dance, even after the jukebox seizes.

            Minutes later, a sweet voice gradually resonates through the air surrounding us. It’s as gentle as the wind on a beautiful day and is as soothing as a Mother’s consoling words after her baby starts crying.

            It’s Levi singing voice.

“ _Breathe, baby, breathe,_

_Let us sail through the seas,_

_Just you and me,_

_Breathe, baby, breathe,_

_Can you feel the breeze?_

_Let us leave, just you and me,_

_Far, far from our troubles,_

_Let us be free,_

_Breathe, baby, breathe,_

_It’s just us and the dry tears we grieve,_

_It’s just you and me,_

_You and me, baby,_

_Forever we shall be...”_

            My feet stop moving.

            My heart is drumming faster than the rain is pouring.

            I detach my hand from his hip then carry it up to his face. My slender fingers deliberately trace his jawline, falling when it reaches his chin. I gently place it back on the side of his head, resting my thumb right next to one of his bluish-gray orbs. I gingerly massage the area in a small circular motion, causing him to close his eyes with content.

            I smile down at him. “Now, will you tell me?”

            Levi reopens his eyes and looks up at me perplexedly. “I don’t understand.”

            “About what you meant in the forest when you said, ‘ _I won’t sing until I know_.’”

            The man suddenly looks flustered. “Oh, _that._ ” Levi sighs unevenly then positions his hand up over mine. “I don’t sing in front of anyone. _No_ one.” He begins. “So, when I _do_ , it’s something special.” He avoids my eyes.

          “I thought you wanted to become a singer though. You can’t become one if you can’t sing in front of others.” I’m a bit puzzled.

            “I know that—but I’m _not_ a professional singer and the chances of me ever becoming one are next to zero, especially during this time and era.” Levi confesses, “Plus, I’ve come to realize that I only want to use it in front of that one person I love being around most.” His eyes finally meet with mine once more, “I want that one person to feel the most special.”

            “Levi—” I start with cheeks reddened, but he hastily cuts me off.

            “I know what you’re going to say…but I don’t want you to say it, yet—” Levi grasps my hand tighter within his. “—because I want to be the first to say it.”

            Mixed emotions rapidly coarse throughout my whole body.

            “Eren Jaeger—I’m in love with you.”

            Jovial tears suddenly cloud the glass of my eyes as I gaze down at the shorter man. I have been waiting months, upon months, praying that this day would come; that the man I feel most comfortable around would confess to me. It has been a dream of mine since God-knows-when and now it’s coming true.

            “I’m in love with you, too…I’m _so_ in love with you.” I tell him right before I take him in my arms. “I’ve been _dying_ for this day to come...”

            “I know you have been,” He responds, “But now it’s here.”

            “It is.” I reply with a soft chuckle that gets me to stop crying. “It makes me so happy!”

            Levi rests his face against my flannel shirt then asks (with his voice muffled), “So, now the question stands. What will you do now, Eren?”

            We draw back without leaving the other’s arms.

            I tilt his hat up a tad more so I can see the glow that fills his expression.

            “Do I really need to answer that?” I quiz with a smirk.

            “Shut up and just kiss me already, brat.” Levi spats with a grin and a laugh sounding his voice.

            I cup his face into my hands before I crane my head down to his. We progressively close our eyes; they seal entirely when our noses brush. I angle my head with his before pausing, allowing his gentle breath to hit against my face; it gives me goosebumps.

We then fill the space between us.

Our lips gently press together; his soft ones curving up against mine. As sweet as the kiss is, there’s _much_ more to it though. A shock of electricity surges through our bodies, sending a fiery pit of passion to emerge within our abdomens.

After that one, _little_ kiss—we couldn’t stop.

We briefly pull our mouths apart to breathe a good intake of air into our lungs before coupling them back together again. The more rapid our kisses come, the far deeper they grow. Tongues soon fall into the mix, slyly gliding past each other’s cheeks, into the other’s hungry mouth.

My mind is hazy and my thoughts slacken as I’m thrown into a feeling I have never experienced before—that is, until now.

My hat falls off, but honestly, I can care less. I’m too caught up in the moment right now.

Levi reaches up, clutching a thing of my hair, while forcibly keeping my head down to his height. His other hand grips greedily at my jean vest. “You’re such a fucking giant.” He states between breaths. My smile plants against his lips a few kisses after that.

To think a confession can change things in a matter of seconds is truly amazing.

**…**

Levi and I get ready for bed after a very eventful day.

I scoop up my hat and look at it for a long moment before looking over at Levi who stands chugging the last bit of his drink. I approach him, immediately drawing his bluish-gray eyes over at me.

A smirk erupts across those lips I so happily claimed minutes ago. “Hey, sexy. What’s up?” The tag he gives me gets my heart to thud behind my chest. Would this become a thing? _Oh_ , I hope this becomes a thing!

“I got my hat and am now ready to call it a night. Wanna head upstairs?”

“Sure. That sounds great. I’m wiped.” He shakes the glass in his hand. “Let me just clean this out real quick and we can call it day.”

**…**

On the way upstairs, I take off Levi’s hat and put mine on his head; his hat on mine.

He sends me a sideways glance then smiles. “You’re such a dork.” He tells me.

“Maybe, but now I’m _your_ dork.”

“And it’s going to stay that way.” Levi says. “You can _only_ be my dork.”

“Not like there’s anyone else around anyway.” I tease.

“I was trying to be sweet, you asshole.” He growls.

I heartily laugh then press a kiss to his temple. “I know. That’s why I love you, Levi.”

The twenty-four year old sighs (more contently then not), “Yeah, I love you too, kid.”

.

.

.

In Levi’s sweet embrace, I fall asleep with the day’s events lingering in my cluttered mind.

It was the perfect day—and will always _be_ the perfect day...That will never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got inspired, so I updated early! xD  
> I hope you all liked it!  
> Eppp~! Things are getting hyped up! c:


	6. Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smexy scene~! x3

“ _Oooh_ , we should be cowboys for the day!” I exclaim with a glowing face. Levi puts his book down and raises a questioning brow at me. “Tell me you’re just kidding.”

“I seriously mean it! Look here!” I point at one of the colorful pages in the book I was scanning through. There’s two, tough looking cowboys quarreling against one another; guns pointed straight towards the other’s head.

“So…you want us to kill one another?” Levi says slowly.

“H-Hell no!” I shout, “But look at how strong and aggressive they are! It’s admirable.” Levi takes the picture book out of my hand and seems to be reading through some of the kanji.

 “What, so now you have some kind of weird ‘cowboy’ fetish?” It comes out of his mouth far too nonchalantly. I blush brightly before violently shaking my head with denial. “Absolutely not!” I inform him. I then pause to scratch my head, “…but it _is_ pretty cool.”

“You’re such a spoiled brat,” Levi states dryly. “Do you even know what cowboys _do_?”

“Uh…Well— _no_ because all the books are in Japanese…”

“Case closed. You can’t be one without knowing what they’re like, first.” Levi throws the book back to me then starts reading his again. I stare down at it with a frown painted to my face. “You can read Japanese though, right? Can’t you tell me?”

“I can, but there’s no use in telling you _squat_ about cowboys if you can’t _be_ one.”

I slouch back into my chair and let out a long breath of air. I stare up at the ceiling wearily. “Okay, fine. I won’t bother you about it anymore.” I lethargically close my eyes. “You’re right. That was silly of me to think that I can try and be something I'm not…”

Behind the shutters of my eyelids, a soothing darkness takes over.

It becomes nice and quiet…I like it like this sometimes. It’s really peaceful. The sound of the wind outside rattles the building around us; the sound of crickets playing in harmony warms my heart.  

Before I know it, I feel as if I’m slipping under. I’m falling back to sleep.

But then a pressure forms on top of my legs. I reopen my eyes to reveal Levi siting all propped up on top them, on his knees. His gaze points straight down at my face.

My teal-greens lock with his bluish-grays.

“I’m sorry if I brought your spirits down,” He cranes his neck over so that we’re face-to-face; his breath softly tickling at my skin, “Let’s go out later and have some fun.” I obediently nod. I like the sound of that.

He presses a passionate kiss to my lips, sending them into overtime.

It feels as if we were always supposed to be together like this; the kisses, the hugs, joined at the hip—all of it feels perfectly right.

**…**

Levi and I leave the saloon and wander around the village. And, unfortunately, my childish mind orders me to wear the same cowboy outfit I wore the day previous. Even Levi is wearing his, too—which makes me really happy.

We explore different buildings, looting things we may need while occupying the small town. We roam into this box shaped building to have a look around. The whole place sparkles.

My eyes jump open, “It’s a jeweler’s shop.” I tell Levi. He smirks. “Sure is.” He strolls over to one of the counters and peers in past the dusty glass. “ _Tch_! Filthy!” He complains. Yep, that’s Levi for you. No matter where he is, he can’t _stand_ to see anything dirty. It’s pretty ironic actually, considering all the time he has spent outside in general. You’d think he’d get use to it by now.

I whip back around to face the door again. “We don’t need anything here, so let’s go.”

“Oh, _yes_ we do. Get your ass over here, Eren.” Levi commands. As much as my legs just want to walk out, my heart is forcing me to stay put.

I turn back around with a long sigh before meeting him at his side. “There’s no point in bringing any of this along because it’s not like we’ll be interacting much with others for now on.”

Ignoring everything I just said, he tells me, “Pick out something for your sister and brother.”

My heart strums a beautiful song. _Is he being serious right now?_

“Something for Mikasa and Armin? W-Why?” My eyes scrutinize the boards beneath our feet. “It’s not like I’ll be seeing them anytime soon…”

“Just do it before I change my mind.” The impatient man orders before walking to the other side of the store.

Leaving me no choice, I walk to the flipside of the counter and open the case up to get a better view at the rarities. “I guess I’ll look for Mikasa first…” I murmur. My eyes scan the contents of the glass box and eventually latch onto this one necklace. It is a silver locket with intricate designs engraved onto its still surprisingly shiny, heart-shaped form. I open it up to reveal its empty insides. It’s kind of sad to see. I wish I could fill it somehow.

“Did you find something?” Levi calls out to me. I nod.

“Yeah, something for Mikasa. It’s a locket—I just wish I had something to put inside of it.” I explain with a small pang striking the inners of my chest.

“Just leave it on the counter for me and I’ll see what I can do.” He answers.

“Really? Do you have any ideas?” I ask. I’m curious to find out what he means.

“Just find the blonde brat something already, will yah?”

With that request, I place Mikasa’s necklace up onto the counter then start looking for Armin. Of course, he’s ten times _harder_ to look for since he’s a guy (well, at least he’s a kind of _girly_ kind of guy). I think I look for about three minutes until something sparks my attention. It’s a silver dog tag that reads in both Japanese and English: _Hope_

“This is perfect for him.” I confirm quietly. I then shout over to Levi, “Found something for Armin, too!”

“Cool,” He stands from behind the other display and walks back over to where I am located. “Let’s see what you got.” He takes both the locket and dog tag in his hands then walks over my side of the counter, in search of something. “What are you looking for?” I ask. He doesn’t reply, but keeps rummaging around—that is until he finds what he is looking for.

“This will do.” He says, showing off this small, slender, scrap of metal. The tip of it is as sharp as a needlepoint and fits in his fingers like a slimmer version of a pencil would.

He turns to me. “I’ll engrave them for you. It’ll make them a little more special.”

“You know how?” It surprises me. Levi sure is being awfully nice.

“Do I _look_ like a jeweler to you? I have no fucking idea if this is what you’re supposed to do, but how hard can it possibly be?” He shrugs a shoulder then stares off into the space behind me, as if he is remembering something important. His face turns a light shade of pink right before he turns away from me. He leans down against the counter and prepares himself to start engraving.

Without looking back up at me, he says, “I’m hopeless.”

“You’re not hopeless.” I assure him. “Geesh…What makes you say that?”

“I want to stop using so much profanity in front of you. As an adult, it’s wrong of me.”

“Levi, you’re not my mother. Plus, I’m also an adult now. You don’t have to hold back.” He sternly looks back up at me and states, “No, but I should. Whether you’re an adult, or not—I need to cut back.” He elaborates, with one of the most serious tones I haven’t heard out of him for a while, “I have decided that I want to make myself a better person now that you and I are in a relationship.”

What he says really kills me. The _way_ he says it kills me even more.

He’s being so compassionate that it makes my heart melt. What I love is how serious he is about our new relationship with one another and how important it is to him.

I’m glad we both share that same feeling.

I bend over and press a chaste kiss to his cheek before pulling away. “I love you, sir.” I tell him with a small smirk. I then run my fingers through his silky black hair before heading back towards the entrance of the building. The whole way there, my eyes linger on his in which follows after mine.

“I’ll be back right back. I need some water.” I explain. “I feel like I’m going to pass out.” I'm pretty lightheaded at the moment and just need something to quench my thirst.

“Will you be alright? I can go get it for you.” Levi’s eyes are wide and fill themselves with concern. I smile with warm cheeks and simply shake my head. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry. There’s a stream nearby, so I’ll just go there. Do you need me to bring you back any?”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks.” He assures. I nod before opening the door.

I call back one last thing, “See yah in a few.” Then I’m out.

**…**

Levi’s POV

I listen as the door closes behind Eren, leaving me to my own silence.

I deflate down against the nasty counter with my face rested against my crisscrossed arms. The only sound is my racing heart that threatens to take over my life. “So, this is what it feels like to be in love…” I _curse_ out, “…shoot!”

It sounds absolutely ridiculous. I’ll admit it. Attempting to eliminate profanity from my every day vocabulary is going to be hard—but I’m going to try…Alright, _maybe_ I’ll just have to keep ‘hell’ and ‘damn,’ though. That sounds like a more reasonable goal for now.

I run my fingers through my hair trying to replicate the feeling I had felt when Eren stroked it minutes ago. It does nothing for me though. Eren’s fingertips still burn passionately against my scalp and I can’t get rid of the erotic feeling.

Then, as if on cue, the spot where Eren kissed my cheek is set ablaze…And, to make things _worse_ , his cutesy words hit my mind faster than a cannonball hits a titan.

_I love you, sir._

Gradually, my eyes close and, before I know it, I am greedily imagining the whole scene all over again in my head.

It turns me on, _real_ bad.

I want his sweet touches and gentle kisses.

After kissing a while, I would want them to transform into something extremely sexy and deep (just like they had been the night previous). I want us to be in the other’s embrace; our hands traveling to unmarked regions of the body for the very first time. I want to see his face…I want to see his face as I touch him. I want to hear his voice cry out my name while his striking eyes gaze hazily into mine…

I stop myself.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me…” I irritably grumble. “Dammit…I got myself all riled up.” I force my eyes down at the countertop where my work lies, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that emerges between my legs. “I need a distraction.” I tell myself with a nod.

And so I work on engraving Eren’s siblings’ jewelry for him. I’m sure he would appreciate this much more in the end, anyway.

It takes me about thirty minutes to do both, or so it seems.

With those passing thirty minutes, I begin to worry about whether or not Eren is really okay though. It doesn’t take _half an hour_ to have a drink of water—so what on _Earth_ is the kid doing?

I take Mikasa and Armin’s jewelry and wrap them up into a small rag before shoving the piece of cloth into one of jean pockets. I then depart, in search of the tall teenager.

**…**

“Eren Jaeger! Where the heck are you?” I shout out a desperate plea in hopes that he'll respond. “Eren!”

I can’t find him anywhere. He’s not by the stream like he said he would be, he’s not in the saloon, and he’s not near the entrance of the village. A sharp pang of terror burdens both my heart and breath.

A village has _never_ before felt so large to me before.

While searching, I come across footsteps in the dirt. They look almost as if walking had become a real struggle after a while. An uneasy chill rolls violently down my spine as I pick up my pace. “Eren!” I call.

“L-Levi…!” A voice cries back to me. It’s close.

Both my body and soul goes entirely numb. My ears begin to ring and my mind completely shuts down. I take off running towards the weakened voice.

It belongs to Eren. I’m _positive_ it does. Who else could it have been? No one else is here!

I whip around the corner of this one building when my feet skid to a stop.

Eren is lying on his back in the grass, clutching the key around his neck tightly within his palm. Tears strain his broadening eyes as he forces out my name for a second time. My eyes amplify at the horrid sight. I dash over to him and drop to my knees, lifting his body up into my arms. “E-Eren—what the hell happened?” I’m so terrified and caught off guard that I stutter.

“I-I don’t know! I was going to the stream when I suddenly got this…this _awful_ pain in my chest!” Eren rests his face against my shoulder and heavily breaths into it, “I-It’s the same feeling I get while transforming into a titan…” Eren’s voice cracks, “I’m scared…I’m honestly scared of what’s going to happen to me, Levi!” He violently shakes his head against my shirt and weeps, “I thought I was finally _free_ from all this ‘titan’ bullshit!”

I enfold him in my arms and slowly rub his quivering back. “Eren…titan blood will always run through your veins—but I know you can control it. No matter how hard it gets, I know you’ll fight back.” I kiss the side of his head and give him a tight squeeze. “If it gets too hard, to the point where you can’t function properly anymore, I want you to transform.”

He jumps back in my arms and stares me straight in the eyes. “Are you insane? If I transform, I could _kill_ you!”

A side of my lips comically curls into a smirk, “Did you already forget who I am, Jaeger?”

“No, but I—”

“There’s no ‘buts’ about it. If things get out of sorts, you know that I’ll be the first to get things back to normal.” I take ahold of the teen’s face and gaze into it. “I’d protect you at all costs. I wouldn’t let the titan in your blood take advantage of the human in you.” I clap my hands against his cheeks and smile. “I most certainly am _not_ going to watch the person I love suffer and not do anything about it. That would make me a real crappy boyfriend, don’t you think?”

Eren quietly laughs and shakes his head. “No…I don’t think you’d be a crappy boyfriend. No matter what you decide, I’d always love you.”

This weird _fluttery_ feeling rises in my abdomen. It doesn’t really hurt—but it feels abnormal. It has happened to me a few times already these past two days. It’s starting to become a normal thing for me. “Whatever you decide, I’ll always love you, too.” It sounds a bit too sappy coming from me—but I’m more than happy to say it. I guess that’s because I mean it. I have fallen for him more than I have ever fallen for anyone else. Actually, this is the first time I have _ever_ been in love. I never really checked people out before or had the time to converse about things unrelated to work.

Plus, what was the use in becoming friendly with people that could possibly die?

That’s what I thought right before I met Eren.

Flashback

“Corporal, sir!” A voice called into my office. A tall brunet with neon eyes stood in my doorway.

“Jaeger.” I responded, gesturing for him to come in. He obediently did what I had suggested and had shut the door behind him. Immediately, his troubled eyes traveled to the floor beneath our boots. “Well? What is it?” I quizzed. “Aren’t you on break right now?” I was really busy that day and didn’t have the time to be twiddling my thumbs.

“I am,” He explained, with a hand on the back of his head, “I just wanted to see if you wanted to go out into town today and catch a bite to eat.” I stopped writing my documents and stared over at him. I had a hard time believing what I had just heard. He was asking _me_ to have lunch with _him_?

“Unlike _you_ , I’m busy right now so, no. I won’t go have lunch with a brat like you.”

“Sir, if I may,” Eren’s voice spoke up, “I know you’re really busy right now. That’s why I came to ask if you wanted to have lunch _out_ today. No one has seen you around for the past three days straight.” Before I had the opportunity to say how no one probably cared to whether or not I was around, Eren intervened with a soft laugh, “I’ve been a bit worried.”

My tired eyes widened. I was genuinely surprised. _The kid is chained up every single night and is called names—and he’s worrying about **me**? _ I had thought to myself.

“Listen Jaeger, I appreciate the concern, but really I’m fine.” I tried to assure, but he was persistent. “You’re fine? If you stay in here an hour longer, you’ll come out looking like a vampire with raccoon eyes!”

“You know _brat_ —” I had begun when he rapidly cut me off.

“That’s why you should have lunch with me so you can come back to work a little less drained.” Eren smiled, “I can help you sort through papers and can reorganize things for you, later.” He was so determined to get me out of that office that he was willing to help me out.

First of all, the kid _hates_ office work and prefers hard, outdoor labor over staying caged up inside. Second of all, why the hell had he cared so much? Well, _now_ I know.

“You’re so damn persistent,” I flipped my notepad shut and had let out a long, defeated sigh. “Fine, I’ll have lunch with you, but you have to help me with all my bullshit work afterwards.” I told him with a crooked smile. “I hope you’re up for it.” He hadn’t looked all too thrilled.

“Well, at least I’ll be able to keep an eye on you, just in case.” He answered.

“What? Just in case I lose my mind and kill someone?”

“Yep.” He replied with grin. “If you could, I’m sure you’d put everyone in a casket.”

“Pretty much.” I responded.

That was the first day in a _very_ long time that I had caught myself smiling. Usually, I would have felt the smile just beneath the surface of my skin and would instantly put an end to it—but that time it had slipped **…**

And Eren had seen it.

It was the first time I had ever seen Eren blush so hard.

Also, that was the same day I felt something change between us. It was something minor, but I still noticed.

**…**

I carry Eren all the way back to the saloon, getting no complaints to arise out of him. He’s so uncomfortable with his own body at this moment to even take notice.

When we get back, I bring him upstairs and lay him down on the bed. He’s still panting heavily. I rest the back of my hand onto his forehead, causing my eyes to double with surprise. He’s so hot that he actually burns the skin on my hand!

 _Yes_ , he’s as gorgeous as ‘ _insert bad word here_ ,’ too, but I’m specifying that he’s more _feverish_ than he is _sexy_ right now (even though he’s always very sexy).

“I’m going to go get you some water and a wet rag to help cool you down.” I run my hand through his sweaty hair, “You’re burning up real bad, Eren.” The teen laughs with a small understanding bob of his head.

“Yeah…My homeostasis is a bit screwed up right now…”

“I’m sure it is,” I tell him, “You’re fighting back against one very large opponent.”

“I have fought bigger…” He answers with a sly smile.

“Oh? Have you now?” I quiz.

He smirks and cleverly responds, “You.”

“I wonder what you mean by that.” I sit down beside Eren and examine him closely. I hope he isn’t referring to my height again. Rude brat, if he is.

“I have fought long and hard to get where I am with you today…That has been a bigger struggle for me than fighting a few titans fifteen-meter tall.” He closes his eyes. Already, his breath begins to regulate. “Only you can calm me down like this, too.” He reopens them, but this time they look different from what they had before.

They’re suggestive, sensual, and aggressive.

“Levi…Kiss me.” His voice is a mere whisper, demanding immediate affection from me.

“I don’t take orders from _you_ , brat. You take orders from _me_.” I reach down, grabbing him up by the collar of his plaid shirt. Our lips press together firmly, tongues gradually sneaking into the other’s mouth. His body is on fire; literally, _on fire_.

“These are getting in the way.” I tell him, irritably pulling his vest off before working on unbuttoning his shirt. Between kisses, I ask him, “How are you not dying right now with all these clothes on?”

He chuckles. “I actually am.”

A crooked smile settles across my face. “Good. Then I’ll take off all these layers for you.”

“Won’t you, please? I might pass out if I have them on any longer.” He plays along. I hear a beg edging in his voice and, _man_ …it sure gets me excited!

“Of course, baby. You can count on me.” I assure him with a smile gone mischievous.

The next thing I know, Eren is laying under me with nothing, but his beautiful, olive skin and a pair of red boxers. He covers his mouth with one of his large hands and averts his gaze elsewhere. I laugh when I notice that his face is almost as bright as his underwear.

“I-I change my mind! W-Where’s my clothes!” He blurts, attempting to reach the floor for his pants. “T-This is too embarrassing! I’m not ready!”

“Oh, I don’t _think_ so!” I sing down to him. “We’ve made it all this way! We’re doing _something_ even if it isn’t _sex_!” I tell the teen before pinning his arms above his head; I straddle his hips in place so there’s no chance in him escaping.

“W-What do you plan on doing to me…?” He questions. Then, realization sinks in. “And, why the _heck_ am _I_ on the bottom!”

I lean over, pressing my forehead against his that has already cooled incredibly.

“We’re going to play a _game_ ,” I explain, “I have to try and find all your weak spots. If you have at least three, I top the first time we have sex.”

“What? That’s that doesn’t sound all that fair!” Eren protests, “ _Five_ ; you need to find _five_ weak spots! Three is way too easy!”

“So, you admit to already having three?” I naughtily grin. I’m all too eager from this…

Eren flushes and shoots back, “N-No! I just…I just don’t _know_! It sounds too easy, that’s all…Doesn’t everyone have a least three sensitive spots?” _Damn_ , he can be so innocent for someone who can have such a dirty mouth. It’s adorable.

“Would you like to name those three places you think they’d be?” I playfully ask.

He shakes his head and says bashfully, “I-Isn’t that what _you’re_ supposed to be doing…?”

I couldn’t have said it any better.

“You’re right. Now, let’s jump right on it. What do you say, Eren?”

“S-Sure…Do what you want…” He then adds, “But first, you should take your clothes off, too…It’d make you feel a little better—I think.”

“If you say so.” I reply. I strip myself of my outfit, leaving me dressed only in my black boxers, right before I get a roll on it.

I first peck a few gentle kisses to Eren’s mouth. I then brush my lips over his entire face, strictly kissing the outer corners of his eyes, his jawline, and the tip of his nose. He grins and whispers out, “Your kisses tickle more than anything.”

Our eyes meet and, as they do, I laugh softly and smile back down at him. “I didn’t know you’re ticklish.” He nods against his pillow. “Yeah…it’s nothing to brag about though. My mom always use to take advantage of me as a kid by tickling me whenever I was in a grumpy mood.”

“Hm, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” I respond.

“Never mind. I’m not ticklish.” He instantly replies. I just laugh and rest my lips up to his ear. “You can’t take back what you just side, silly.” I then nibble down on his cartilage. He stirs underneath me and lets out a quiet sigh. _Bingo_.

I slide my tongue down to his earlobe and suck on it a little bit. He releases a deep moan and rests his hand up into my hair. I begin to feel the same way I had earlier when his fingers ran down my scalp.

I’m turned on.

“One.” I proudly announce before traveling to his neck. Instantly, he tries pushing me away, as if he’s hiding something. “N-Not here…” He tells me with reddened cheeks.

“In other words, _here_.” I answer before easily relocating his hands elsewhere. I run my tongue down his neck causing a whole chorus of moans to occur. His fingers claw at my naked back with pure delight rising up from his throat. “ _Ah_ …”

“Two,” I add, “Damn, you neck’s so sensitive…I love it.”

“I-I don’t…” Eren butts in. I roll my eyes then move down to his chest. “This should be fun.” I silently say to myself before smoothing my hands up and down his torso. His reaction is priceless.

Eren’s POV

This is _real_ bad!

I’m so sensitive to all of Levi’s touches that exterrestrial sounds are coming out of my mouth. Shit…Is this really _my_ voice? I’ve _never_ heard it so— _sexual_ before.

When Levi decides to run his graceful hands up and down my torso, I am left with nothing more than guilty pleasure. I feel so turned on that I can barely hold back the words, ‘ _just fuck me._ ’ Yikes…if they happen to slip, I’ll probably cry. Yes, _cry_.

To say something that _direct_ is almost scary to even think about.

But it feels _so_ good…

“How are you feeling, Eren?”

“ _Amazing_ …” My body answers before my mind can. Ugh…am I even the same _person_?

“Ah, shit Eren…Don’t say it like that.” His sexy voice just barely scolds me. “You’re making me hard.”

Huh?

What?

I toss a pillow over my face and shout into it, “I’m sorry! _Fuck_ , I’m _so_ sorry! I didn’t know I could do that!” I heavily breathe into the fluff of cotton, “This is so _embarrassing_!” I whine.

Levi sighs then yanks the pillow from hands. “Oh, come on, Eren! Stop being a baby!” Okay, _this_ time he scolds me. “You’re an eighteen year old _man_ now! And, I’m just stating the obvious! You probably already knew that I had a boner to begin with, so what’s the big deal?” He reaches down to the hem of my underwear and playfully lifts it before letting the elastic slap back down against my skin. “Plus, you’re not all that innocent, either. You’ve had one ever since I bit your ear.”

This conversation… _will_ be the death of me…

Therefore, I don’t answer.

“Alright, then. You don’t have to answer, but just know I’m heading for a homerun.”

 _Heading for a homerun…?_ I ponder over the phrase when I finally get what he means…

“W-What, Le—” I begin when Levi’s hand runs over my boxers.

A shiver of adrenaline rushes over my heated body. “L-Levi—!” I attempt again when he strokes the clothed area with the palm of his hand. Slowly, I find myself melting into his touch. “Ahhh…” I moan. I can’t hold back my voice anymore. It’s now rushing out with every touch of his.

“Eren…” Levi calls to me. I gaze up into his bluish-grays and end up getting lost in them. In this trance, they’re ten times as exquisite. They’re much more sharp and much more erotic now. “Eren, I love you…” Levi’s voice tells me. The words get my whole body to satisfyingly quiver.

He’s got me _right_ where he wants me…right where I want to be, too.

“I love you, too…” I mutter back, running my hand over his thigh. His breathing becomes irregular. “L-Levi…h-head for a homerun…”

His eyes look to be comprehending what I just said for him to do. They then broaden. “You realize that means I want to, you _know_ , jerk—” He begins when I sharply cut him off.

“Y-Yeah…I’ll let you, I guess.”

Well, since I already have an awkward boner…

**…**

My breath hitches uncontrollably after every run up my length. The feeling drives me to insanity. My eyes are hazy with pleasure and my voice is set on a slightly higher pitch than I’m used to. Surges of ecstasy spiral through every nerve in my body while violent shivers unfold against Levi’s bare chest. I sit between his legs with my lower limbs draped over his hips.

My head rests on his shoulder as he brushes a row of kisses onto my overly sensitive neck. He connects the invisible marks with his tongue then bites my ear. “ _Ngh_ …F-Fuck!” I stutter out. I slide my fingers up into his smooth, black hair as he continues to send pleasure to my pelvis with one of his hardworking hands.

“I can’t wait to have sex with you…” He temptingly whispers in my ear. “I’ll make those dreamy eyes of yours never want to leave mine ever again…” I pull away from his shoulder and rest my forehead down against his. I stare into the depths of his globular spheres and heatedly answer back, “They already don’t want to leave…” I lick up the bridge of his nose before adding, “They’re all yours.”

“God, I love you.” He says while picking up his pace around my shaft. I gnaw down on my lower lip then take ahold of Levi’s now, too. His body quakes in response. Together we sit, focusing on the sound of our heavy breathing and soft moans, until my body just can’t take the friction of Levi’s skillful hand anymore.

I dip my head back as my abdomen tightens. “ _Ah_!” My voice wails. I grip Levi’s shoulders tightly for support. The feeling gets my mind all foggy and my body all hot.

At the same time, the two of us release in perfect harmony.

We then reduce wearily into each other’s embrace. We roughly pant and try to catch our breath again. _Never_ have I ever felt so—amazingly _good_ ; so amazingly _weightless_ after jerking off. This is a whole new feeling on its own and I grow to like it—a lot.

The two of us lay back in be bed and listen to the stillness surrounding us. That is until…

“How was it?” Levi asks me.

“ _Really_ good, thanks…You?” I turn my head and look over at him. He laughs.

“Do I have to answer?”

“I did, so _yes_. You do.”

“It was great. I’m now more knowledgeable about your sensitivity towards touching.”

“Yeah, _unfortunately_ …” I mumble with a light blush.

“Just so you know, I’m waiting for the day you become a little grumpy so I can tickle you.” Levi reaches down and gently tickles me in the side, causing me to crack up into a million laughs. I reach down and grab his hand into both of mine. “I thought you said you were going to wait until I was _grumpy_.”

“I am—I just wanted a little sneak peek into what I’ll be seeing that day.” Levi deadpans.

I sigh, but can’t help the smile that forms across my glowing face.

Regardless of the small fit I went through approximately an hour and a half ago, I feel as if it never occurred. Here I am, _happy_ with Levi laying at my side. He takes away all my pain almost every time.

To me, he’s an alien. He’s not like anyone else on this crappy, ‘so-called’ _Earth_ we live on. We’re both humans of a crude reality—even after we’ve run away. Though it seems so perfect, it’s too good to be true. Back at the walls, our allies and enemies fight against the titans that threaten their everyday lives. We abandoned them and it saddens me that I had to leave the people I love behind to have to fight against that way of life…but did I have another other choice? No. The king was going to kill me and I didn’t want that. I believe that there is more to my life than just being a titan. Levi has helped me discover that. He’s the reason why I’m still alive and he’s the reason why I’m still fighting back against my blood.

 _Whew_! Kudos to him!

“Eren,” Speaking of the devil… “You are you.” Levi states seriously. I look at him funny, not really understanding where that abruptly came from. “Mhm, yes. I’m me.” I validate. “Why?”

Levi sits up, leading me to do the same. He stares at me a moment, submerged in what seems to be contemplation, then reaches his hands out to me. He takes ahold of the key around my neck. “This will only keep reminding you of your old life.” He lifts it up from around me then takes the key firmly into the palm of his hand. A crease emerges between his brows as he stares strictly at my puzzled face. “This will only bind you under the foot of your titan form. I feel you shouldn’t wear it for now. Not until you’re able to stand on both feet again.” Levi explains, placing it around his own neck. “What I mean is, I want you to live a life _only_ as a human. I don’t even want you to _think_ of yourself as a titan, for now.” He caresses the back of his pale hand against my tan skin. “Once you begin to believe that you’re only a human and nothing more, I will return this to you. When I give it back, this key will become nothing more than a present your father bestowed upon you to prove how much you’ve grown over the years.”

He then leans over the bed and shuffles through his jeans’ pockets. He pulls out a rag and unfolds it in front of me. “I think Mikasa and Armin would have thought the same. Here.” He hands me both Mikasa’s locket and Armin’s dog tag.

I first observe Armin’s necklace. On the dog tag, it reads in cursive:

_From brother to brother,_

_Thanks for always having my back._

_No matter how far away I am, I will always have yours, too._

_\- Eren_

My eyes are a little glassy when in reading it. It’s something I’d absolutely tell him. To think Levi knows me that well, is incredible.

I raise my eyes, having them meet with Levi’s, but he just motions for me to open Mikasa’s locket—and so I do.

Within the contents of the heart reads in small print (and in the same cursive writing):

_You’re the greatest sister a guy could ever ask for._

_Thank you for always being there for me before anyone else._

_I think about you every day and hope for your safety._

_I love you._

_-Eren_

I find it amazing how Levi managed to fit all that inside the heart. Again, the message sounds as if it actually came right out of my mouth.

This little ‘note’ to Mikasa is a lot more emotional for me to read though. Tears threaten my eyes the longer I stare down at it. I cover my mouth with my free hand and feel my heart sink into my stomach. “I miss them… _so_ much.” I tell Levi with a few tears flowing down onto my hand. “I want to see them, even if it’s just one more time…!” I then lift my hand up over my face, masking the hideous sentiments that dwindles my pride.

Levi castles me into his arms and kisses the hand that covers my face. “I promise I’ll get the three of you together again one day.” He rests his head against mine. “I really will.”

And I believe him.

Levi’s not the type to lie and always holds his promises to heart.

So, I know that the day will come where I will see my beautiful sister and my intelligent brother again…

.

.

_._

I am left thinking about this for the rest of the day. If I had to write a note to Levi, what would it say? Well, after some thinking, I came up with this:

_Levi,_

_You are my strength and all that I have ever dreamed for._

_You have taken a shackled slave and stitched wings to his back._

_You have helped that same slave fly._

_You have helped that same slave smile._

_You have helped that same slave laugh._

_You have helped that same slave love._

_Only you have taken the time do all that for me._

_There are no words to describe how appreciative I am of you._

_You’re my role model and my leader._

_And now, you’re my lover, too._

_So, thank you._

_-Eren <3 _

I close my eyes to find a dorky grin pasting itself to my peach lips.

Yes…Levi will always be my number one hero, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, guys!! I decided to make this chapter a bit longer than the rest, so it has taken me a few days longer to write! I've written sixteen pages for this chapter on Microsoft word, just so you all have a rough idea to why it has taken so long, lol! xD  
> Well, I hope you all enjoyed it!!!  
> And, oh my gosh...It is so hard for me to write any kind of sex or 'touchy-touchy' scenes, haha! I really struggled this time!  
> Anyway, thank you all for the support! I really appreciate it and I hope you all still like the series so far! ^^  
> Love ya'll~ <3  
> (Also, please excuse any mistakes made in this fic; I'll fix them when I get the opportunity to.)


	7. Your Power

“Yo, Eren.”

Mm…A little while longer…

“ _Eren_.” The voice calls again. _Ah, what a beautiful voice…_

Unexpectedly, fingers knot with my hair, running calmly against my scalp. I get the chills. Something incredibly gentle smoothly matches with the crevices of my lips. A spark of electricity tingles between them. “Eren, open your eyes.”

Gradually, I listen to the voice’s command and wearily open them.

“Levi…” I mutter softly. He amorously stares down at me, resuming his fingers through my sensitive hair.

“Morning.” He says before straightening out his back again. I watch him as he walks over to one of the dressers in the room, returning with a dish in his hand. “I made you something to eat.” He guides me up into a sitting position then sets the plate onto my lap. “You need something in your body.”

“That’s what he said…” I mumble. Levi shoots me a glare. I laugh awkwardly in response. Whoops…my cheesy humor slipped out past my throat again.

On the plate is a small portion of (what looks to be) chicken, green beans, and carrots. Surprised, I look up and scan over Levi’s placid expression. “Woah…You found a lot.”

“Sure did,” He shrugs a shoulder, “I never thought I’d find a chicken on the same day. I guess luck was on our side today.” He reaches down and picks up the fork he brought along with him, stabbing a piece of chopped up carrot. He carried it up to my lips and revealed a sly smirk. “Say, ‘ _ah_ ,’ like you were yesterday.”

Huh? When was I saying…?

I freeze; darkness shadowing my eyes while scarlet embarrassedly burns to my face.

“How about _you_ say, ‘ _ah_ ’ for a change—” I begin when the fork suddenly glides into my mouth—but it doesn’t just ‘leave’ my mouth afterwards…He caresses my tongue with it. I blush and try to pull away from it, but it’s Levi we’re talking about. It isn’t that easy.

“Heh. You’re blushing.” Geesh…Does he have to be so stark about it?

“S-Shuddup!” I call out with some difficulty. I snatch the fork away from him and shoot him a nasty look. “I can feed myself.” I mumble with annoyance. He laughs before standing from the bed.

“Oh, I have to run out and get something. Do you mind staying here while I go?”

I look over at him a bit surprised. “Get something? I mean, yeah, _sure_ …but what do you have to get?”

He lifts a slender finger up to his lips and shoots me a wink. “It’s a secret.”

Defeated, I sigh. “Alright. Well, be careful.”

He just stares at me a moment then leans over the bed, pecking my forehead with a kiss. He assertively points a finger at me and adds, “Don’t leave while I’m gone. You’re not well enough to be moving around yet.”

“I’m okay—”

“Jaeger, just say you’ll stay here.” His face is tense and almost worried.

I groan then give in. “Alright, _alright_. I won’t leave, so just go already.”

A smile inches up onto his porcelain face. He waves before exiting the room.

My heart hurts all of a sudden though. Just seeing him walk out of the room is so painful that I just want to scream out for him to come back.

For some reason, I feel as if I might never see him again if he does leave…

Really, it’s horrible.

I listen to his footsteps all the way up until I hear them leave the saloon. I let out a heavy groan before digging back into the meal Levi prepared for me.

“Delicious…” I murmur contently to myself, trying to ignore the feeling that scratches under my skin. You can tell he really put a lot of time into the meal. “Shoot, this is the best meal I’ve had in weeks.”

**…**

When I finish up, I take the plate, fork and knife and bring it downstairs. The least I can do is clean it up for him. Really, he has done so much for me already.

I hop off the last step when I feel a strange feeling overwhelm me. Something feels… _off_. The fact that Levi isn’t here either, bothers me. Usually my intuition is spot-on, but this time I believe it may not be. After all, I’m not in the best conditions at the moment. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just because I don’t feel a hundred percent yet.

While I am washing off my dishes, I begin to feel a little faint and my stomach begins to ache. Gradually, my eyes develop the second my mind wraps around the idea to what is _actually_ going on.

My body is rejecting me again.

Hurriedly, I dash over to entrance of the saloon and peek out, hoping to see Levi somewhere close—but he isn’t. Worried and scared, I drag my legs over to stairs again. I have to fight this alone…but if I do, I want to make sure I’m comfortable in some sort of way.

I need to get back to bed.

I make it halfway up the stairs when I break into a cold sweat. My breathing labors and my body goes entirely numb. I fall to my knees on one of the steps and begin to claw at the wooden panels beneath me.

It hurts incredibly.

“F-Fi— _ght_ …!” I gasp out, watching my nails go bloody within my blurry vision. My body starts to convulse as a migraine rolls over me.

Thoughts of Levi swarm into my throbbing head, leaving me the inspiration I need to press forward, up the stairs—but as I reach the top step, my vision goes completely white.

The only sound is of the ocean I’ve seen but once.

“Le…vi…” My voice manages one last time before my eyes roll up into the back of my head. At that moment, my heavy body goes weightless and the world around me grows exceedingly slow. I feel myself gliding through the air, as if I am a bird soaring up into the open blues. Ah—I know this feeling…It’s the same as when I was running through the pouring rain a few days ago with my arms spread high above my head; it’s the same as when I was learning to dance with Levi; it’s the same as when Levi and I kissed for the very first time; it’s the same as when Levi took the key off from around my neck…

My wings of freedom…I’m experiencing the strange rush again.

A small smile presses firmly to my lips as a fleeting thought crosses my quieted mind.

_I love you._

The last thing I see is a picture of Levi’s beautiful face with a striking smile across it.

Then, my world turns into a single spike of pain that immerges all throughout my head and into my body. Everything goes black and, unfortunately, this darkness isn’t all that comfortable this time…

**…**

Levi’s POV

While walking back to the saloon, I gaze down into the palm of my right hand. My cold heart has opened up a lot ever since the day Eren and I became close. It has even become warm in the process.

I extend my fingers around the two small objects in my hand and give them a good squeeze. My face is burning up and my heart is racing a mile-a-minute. The feeling is both amazing and terrible at the same time. I’ve never been so happy before in my whole life—but at the same time, it lets my guard down, too. I become flustered a lot more easily now and catch myself always trying to gain Eren’s attention every time his eyes turn away from mine.

I guess that isn’t a bad thing though. It just shows how much I love him.

I lift the two small objects to my lips and give them a kiss before approaching the saloon once more. The next journey we go on, I’ll definitely give him his…I’m so nervous to see him again though, but I just wind up pushing past the feeling and end up walking inside.

But the moment I do, everything I was just feeling departs.

My body turns rigid and cold…So cold that I drop the two small objects from my hand.

They roll across the wooden floors and stop when they collide with one another.

My feet move on their own as I dart over to Eren’s badly wounded body. “E- _Eren_!” My hoarse voice fearfully shouts. His fingers are bleeding—as is the back of his head…The rest of his tall stature is bruised everywhere. Did he fall down the stairs?

Extremely gentle, I lift his bloody head up into my hands. A thick, oily, red paints my palms with its severity. “Eren, oh god _please_ , can you hear me?”

No response.

I rest my head down to his chest and listen for his heart. It’s still there, but it’s very weak.

My shaky body rises and lifts the boy up into my arms. I delicately handle his head with one of my hands, keeping it pressed against one of my shoulders.

I somehow manage to make it upstairs and into the bedroom again, resting Eren down onto the bed, face down against the comforter. When I see the wound I’ll be dealing with, tears sting guiltily into eyes.

I shoot my hand up over my face, smearing blood across my pale skin. My heart feels as if it has been ripped out. I have _never_ felt so emotionally wrecked before in my whole entire life.

But I have to get over this feeling and fast because I need to save Eren.

I quickly snap out of it and run around the whole pub in search for some medical supplies. After a few minutes of searching, I find a first-aid kit in the upstairs washroom, hidden in the backs of one of the cabinets.

I hastily get back to Eren’s side again and begin to operate.

**…**

When I finish stitching up his head, I cautiously wrap a thing of bandages through his filthy hair and over his forehead. I then proceed to the next of my problems; his fingers. They’re red just below his nails, as if he had been scratching at something rough. “I need to wash both his fingers and hair carefully.” I mutter to myself before reaching down into the bucket I carried in from the washroom. It’s filled to the brim with water.

I grab the wet rag I had brought along with the bucket and begin to gently damp at Eren’s fingers. I clean every single one with care and disinfect them with peroxide before placing band-aids onto all of them. I then wash through his reddened hair, remembering back to the day I cleaned it for him. All I can see is his embarrassed face and his bright, bluish-greens gazing over at me. The memory pains me from head-to-toe the more I think about it.

 _Fuck_.

I shudder and feel more tears overcome me.

I throw the wet rag back down into the bucket then sit back against the bed’s headboard. I take a pillow and rest it on my lap before positioning Eren’s head onto it.

I think about what could have happened to him—and the answer comes all too easily, which sickens me on all levels. He, without a doubt, must have had another tough battle against his titan form.

And I wasn’t there to help him through it.

Guilt pierces through my chest, thickening the more I think things over.

_It’s all my fault. I should’ve been there for him! I should’ve never left him here alone!_

He seemed to have been doing so well yesterday night and this morning that I thought it’d be okay to go out for twenty minutes or so to pick him up something that I think would make him really happy one of these days.

Nothing makes me more distraught than seeing him like _this_.

I hang my head and press a few soft kisses to his lips.

_Please wake up soon…Please, I’m so sorry._

With every single kiss it feels as if I’m being stabbed. He’s not here right now. He’s not conscious. He probably can’t hear me either.

I lay down in bed and secure him in my protective arms. I’ll never leave him again…I can’t after what has happened today. And, so I pledge to always protect him no matter what happens.

Because he’s the only person I love in this 'effed up world.

**…**

\- Two weeks later –

 

I walk back into the bedroom and yawn wearily. “I have to change your bandages again Eren, so please bear with me, baby.” I tell him before plopping down on the bed beside him. He doesn’t respond, which is to be expected at this point, so I ignore the fact that he doesn’t answer.

Humming a soft tune, I unravel the bandages around his head. I clean the area well and disinfect it before wrapping him back up again. His fingers have greatly healed, while all those scary bruises have faded into barely anything at all.

With a small laugh, I tell him about the highlight of my day thus far. It’s nothing exciting, but I know he would’ve laughed. “I was walking up the stairs with a bucket full of clean water to bring into the washroom for today when I full-on tripped on one of the stairs! I spilled the water all over the place.” I chuckle sadly. "Seriously, damn my luck these past few weeks…But hey, that’s not even the best part. I tripped on the _first_ step. That’s something that a doofus like _you_ would do. It’s very unlike me to do something that eccentric.” I sigh then run my fingers through his bangs. “All your bad habits are rubbing off on me, you know. That’s not a good thing when I’m trying my hardest to remain as strong as I was killing off titans.” I fall back against my pillow and rest my head down against Eren’s shoulder. I frown then whisper, “Hurry back, won’t you, brat? I miss your smile and laugh…and of course those gorgeous eyes of yours, too.” I pause then add with a moan, “What am I saying? I miss _all_ of you so much…”

I close my exhausted eyes and instantly feel myself slipping under. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep for a long while now. I’m emotionally drained and I feel very guilty about everything that has happened to Eren.

It is my fault after all. Really, it is.

**…**

This time, while sleeping, I feel so—at _peace_. I haven’t felt like that for two, long weeks now.

In the dream world I am in, I picture Eren stroking my hair with his long, slender fingers. It feels really nice and it even makes me smile. I’m aware it’s just a dream—but it just feels so _real_.

But after a while of feeling his fingers, I feel myself floating back up from my fatigue.

When I open my eyes, realization hits me.

The fingers brushing through my hair—they haven’t stopped.

I jump up and latch my eyes observantly onto Eren’s ovular face. His teal-green eyes are sleepy, but are definitely staring up at me right now. Then, an affectionate grin tugs at the corners of his lips. A groggy voice reaches up into my ears, “…’Morning, Levi…”

Water threatens my gray eyes the more I gaze down at him. My chest painfully constricts at the sight of him awake. It’s such a beautiful thing that I thank every god I never believed in before—that is, until now; I believe in every single one.

“It’s the afternoon…you _idiot_ …” My voice cracks weakly. I reach down and scoop him up into my arms. I clutch his back tightly with my hands and smile into his shoulder. “Never scare me like that again, you hear? I’ll cut your balls off the next time you do…!”

Eren hoarsely laughs and kisses my hair a few times, “I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do that again.”

“You better not.” I gravely warn. I soften my tone so that it only sounds concerned, “I thought that I’d never see you open your eyes; I thought I’d never see you laugh or smile again…” I rest my hand carefully through his messy hair. “And if you were to wake up, I considered the fact that you may have lost your memory.”

These freakin’ tears. They just keep coming and they won’t stop.

I’ve never cried like this before; shit, I didn’t think I was _capable_ of crying like this.

“The thought of losing a part of you—or even _all_ of you—was unbearable.” My throat is clogged with tears, my chest bears this heavy feeling, and my body is quivering with both happiness and upset. All these foreign emotions are suddenly rushing to me faster than an avalanche.

Eren—I feel more human than I ever have before.

Thank you…

I softly peck both of his tan cheeks before pressing a loveable kiss to his smiling lips.

When we pull away, he fleetingly stares into my eyes, dipping the side of his head slightly off to its side when his greenish orbs meet at my neck. Looking almost puzzled, he reaches a hand out, taking ahold of the golden key shimmering within the tender rays peeking in from one of the windows. He looks it over carefully then scans over my eyes again. He looks serious about something.

“Have you always had this? I don’t really remember you wearing it before.”

My eyes magnify. _Does he really not remember?_

“It’s yours. You wanted me to wear it for a while just until you got some— _things_ sorted out.” No way…You can’t mean that he has…?

“Mine?” He quizzes, almost taken aback. “And, what did I need to sort out?”

He’s forgotten that he’s a titan.

“Eren…Tell me everything that you can remember.” I tell him sternly.

“About what?”

“About _you_.” I respond. He nods slowly then clears his throat, digging through his stone-thick mind for answers.

“Well, my name’s Eren Jaeger and I’m eighteen years old. I have an adopted sister named Mikasa and a close friend that’s practically my brother…His name’s Armin.” He pauses and thinks some more. “They live somewhere else though. They live behind the walls of Sina with more of my good friends. I use to work with a lot of them. They were my teammates. Mikasa and Armin are family and they were even my teammates.”

“Where did you work? Can you tell me about your job?” I nervously press.

I wonder what he’ll say…

“Do I really need to? After all, you were my leader; Corporal Levi Ackerman…” Eren’s lightly blushes, “ _Heh_. Who would’ve thought we’d end up together in the end?” Quickly though, Eren sighs and adds, “I’ll tell you exactly where we use to work, just to assure you that I remember.” Eren smiles and says, “We use to work for the Recon Corps. We were pretty much the ‘big guys’ in town. Well, we _were_ soldiers after all.”

I want to know more. He seems pretty spot on, but I want to clarify my assumption.

“Who or what did we fight against?” I ask him. Eren looks at me funny.

“Humans, of course. I mean, what else is there to really fight?”

_Oh, Eren…more than you possibly know as of right now._

“I see,” Things are beginning to come together. “Then why did you and I run away?” Eren thinks deeply about it. He rests a hand on his head and rubs at one of his temples.

“The king wanted me to join the Military Police, but I was firmly against the idea…I just love the Recon Corps so much that just thinking about leaving hurts.” The eighteen year old frowns, “But the king said I either join forces with him or I get sent to prison—for life.” Eren knits his brows together and uncomfortably smiles, “He already considered me a ‘threat,’ so disobeying his orders just means that I could act recklessly and turn against him in the future.”

“Do you know why he considers you a threat?” Just a little bit more…

“I—I think I do…” He places both hands on his head and digs his fingers into his hair. “I...think I was constantly experimented on while growing up just because I’m genetically different. I don’t really know how I’m different though…I feel the same as everyone else.”

And so it’s out. Eren really doesn’t remember the fact that he’s a titan anymore, but he _does_ know that he’s different. All his other memories seem to be inline though, which is good.

_Interesting…_

I reach out and wrap my hands around his that are still firm against his head. I rest my forehead against his and gaze into his eyes. “Okay. No more thinking.” I tell him, “You did very well. I’m proud of you.”

“Did I really? Was I correct?” Eren asks with glowing eyes. _He’s so cute._

I smile and draw my forehead away from his. I brush my lips against it instead. “An overwhelming majority of it is correct, so kudos to you. You only left out a few little things.” I add. “They’re not all that important anymore though, so I wouldn’t really worry about it.”

Eren nods with a small sigh. “I hope I remember them all again one day though. It feels almost lonely and scary _not_ knowing.”

_But it’d probably be much harder **to** remember. _

I let out an airy breath then embrace the taller boy into my arms. I rub his large back in small, circular motions. Leisurely, he unwinds within my castled grip. “Would you rather take the fear of _not_ knowing—or the fear _of_ knowing?” I whisper into his ear. I watch as his skin prickle with goosebumps. I wonder if it is my voice in my ear that did it or the reality of the question.

“I guess it depends on how bad it is.” Eren explains, nuzzling his head into my neck. It causes this hot feeling to disperse throughout my entire body. It almost turns me on, but I quickly disregard the feeling, taking into consideration how Eren’s still in poor health. I shouldn’t be having any lewd thoughts right now. It’s wrong.

“If the memory is really bad, then I’m not sure I’d really want to remember it.” He breathes against the crook of my neck. I get powerful goosebumps that get my face tingling. _That’s weird…You can get goosebumps on your face?_ I ponder to myself.

It’s the first time it has ever happened to me before.

“I agree,” I answer with a quickening heart, “What’s the point in suffering through something you just might not deserve.” _Because you of all people don’t deserve to suffer._ My downcast eyes travel to the comforter below us. _First, you lose your mother. Second, your father abandons you. Third, you’re a titan. Fourth, you were ordered around all the time, having little-to-no freedom._

I tug at Eren’s shirt and murmur, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you fell,” I cautiously kiss his bandages, up until I reach the back of his head. “Eren, from here-on-out, I will protect you. I’ll try my hardest to give you the greatest life you could ever ask for.”

Eren brushes his smooth lips up my neck then presses a few feathery kisses to the bottom of my jaw. I get more chills to rise to the flesh of my face—but that’s not only thing that happens. My cheeks feel as if they are on fire, too. It’s another new feeling I have never experienced before. My yearning for him only grows.

“My injuries aren’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Please.” He loosely wraps his arms around my waist; his hands folded against my lower back. “I should have stayed in bed. I wouldn’t have fallen then.”

“I’m responsible for this too, Eren. I shouldn’t have left you so soon after your…” I trail, realizing that he probably wouldn’t even remember his ‘titan fits’ anymore. The possibilities are extremely high, being that he can’t even remember that he’s titan.

To my surprise, Eren doesn’t question it. He doesn’t even ask why I have stopped my sentence. He just chortles in response and tells me, “I love you, Levi.”

My heart skips a beat.

I reach up below his shirt and gently stroke his lightly bruised back. He shivers and pulls back to stare into my eyes.

“I love you too, brat. A lot.”

We give each other a long, deep kiss that seems to last an eternity.

This will be a new chapter in our lives; a chapter where Eren will actually be able to lift his wings and fly without having chains to pull him back down again. With one of his biggest burdens gone as of right now, we can finally move forward and enjoy life without having to think too much into our pasts in the process.

And if we _do_ think into them, we’ll think only of the good times.

So, Eren—let’s continue to venture together; let us explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I'm so, so sorry I haven't been able to upload for the past two weeks! So much has been going on right now that it was really hard to. The first week I had gotten really sick and couldn't even leave my bed for a few days! Ugh, that was horrible! And, the second week, my mom had had cancer for the forth time and had to go into surgery. She's finally home, but I've been having to take care of her. AND, on top of all that, I have finals/regents for school before I can finally enjoy my summer! -.- It's crazy!  
> But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I definitely wanted to try and get something out for you all. c:  
> Thanks so much for the support! <3


	8. Recovery?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy Levi sleeps~ xD  
> Confused Eren is confused~ x3

Levi’s POV

It has been a month since Eren has woken up from his coma; a long month, but a productive one.

Every once in a while he gets splitting headaches and, as soon as he does, I force him to drop everything that he’s doing so he can properly rest instead. After a while of this continuous act, the changes in Eren have become more apparent the more I look after him. For instance, the color has returned to his face and his eyes are a lot less tired looking. Actually, they look revived.

Within the course of a month, I decided to put an end to his bandages after seeing how well his head has been doing. One day, I had taken out the stitches, but even so, I made a routine out of putting ointment on his tender scar every morning and night. I made sure to cautiously wash his hair for him too every time he’d bathe, handling his scar with care.

_As long as I’m the eagle, no vultures will lay their claws on you._

I have always been protective over Eren, but now, forget it. It’s gotten so bad that it’s almost ridiculous. It only took that one accident for me to realize that I can’t picture a life without him anymore.

Me, the ‘emotionless’ Levi, is now, what you call, _sentimental_.

Pretty damn ironic, huh?

**…**

Eren’s POV

“You ready, brat?”

“More ready than ready.” I enthusiastically claim. I’m excited—but at the same time there’s a little melancholy hidden there, too. Another farewell…It’s painful, but it just marks the next step in our journey together.

“Good.” Levi answers, motioning me to follow him out of the pub. I take a single glance back; memories rushing into my mind.

Here…so much has happened.

There are so many good memories; a few being bad. Among the best would definitely be our first kiss and teaching me how to dance. Actually, that whole _day_ is my best memory. That was the day we hooked up and, since then, I’m more than proud to say we’re still together today.

“We’ll come back.” Levi assures me with a small chuckle. “So wipe that ugly expression off your beautiful face.”

With florid ears and cheeks I press a palm to my face to maybe see what he was talking about. Before I can even say anything back, he adds, “Where ever you would like to go, I’ll take you. If you say you want to come back here, we’ll come back here for sure.”

“Really? Can we?”

“Don’t you know me by now? I keep all my promises.” Levi deadpans.

As I walk up past him, I spank his butt with a big, innocent grin. “You’ve changed because you never _use_ to make promises in the first place.”

A sexy, mysterious smirk widens across his face. “You’re learning.”

“Well, _yeah_ , of course I’m learning. I have been around you for how long now?”

With that, Levi murmurs, catching me totally off guard, “Don’t sass me. I can spank twice as hard.” Before I can think to even dodge the attack, he gives me a ‘nice’ _slap_ to the bum. It startles me so much that I stop walking and blush embarrassedly, masking my face with one of my hands. He walks up past me again and takes the lead. Whoops…I should’ve known that taking the lead would have caused an incident like _that_ to happen…

It is Levi we’re talking about after all.

“What’s wrong, brat? Are you at a loss of words?” Levi grins over his shoulder at me.

“S-Shut up!” I complain. I march up beside him, refusing to be the caboose every time.

“ _Tch_ ,” Levi clicks his tongue to his teeth. “Don’t act like that.”

“Act like _what_?” I vilely grumble.

“ _That_ ,” Levi narrows his eyes up onto me, “You’re being a…” He trails, “A _brat_.”

“According to you, I’m _always_ a brat.” I’m not looking at him, but I can feel his glare.

“Okay. Then you’re a _needy_ brat.”

“How am I ‘needy’?” I dare make eye contact with him—and soon regret it. _But_ I won’t back down anymore, especially after learning his true character. He’s not all that scary once you get use to him…or maybe I’m just lucky.

“You want me.” He states; those three words rolling off his tongue as if they’re poison. They’re the only words that fill the quiet air around us and they’re the same words that cause the silence between us. To be frank, he’s a hundred percent right. I want him—but I won’t actually _say_ that I do. Might as well drop all my pride while I’m at it!

Which I will _not_ do.

But it makes me wonder…would he give up _his_ pride for me if I were to ask him to?

 _Pft_ , yeah right! What the hell am I thinking?

“Hey…I have a question.” My face grows toasty. “And, it requires a serious answer.”

Quizzically, Levi shoots me a questioning look with one of his brows raised. “Alright.”

“Well…If I were to _hypothetically_ ask you to, _well_ , be b-bottom sometime, uh, w-would you?” I’m so nervous for his answer that I feel like I’m literally shitting bricks. Yikes…

Shocked, Levi looks up at me with big eyes. _Okay…I figured he’d respond like this._

Levi slowly detaches his eyes from mine and keeps them on the hill ahead of us. His free hand grips at one of his leather suspenders in a state of deep contemplation. The only sound is the gentle wind in our ears and the sound of grass crunching under our feet. I begin to solely focus on that so I can try and avoid the embarrassment.

But that’s when he answers…

“Not without a good fight—but if that’s what you _really_ want, I guess I could try— _once_.”

My face turns scarlet; _deep_ scarlet.

I hold both of my suspenders tightly within my palms and feel this flutter of heat arise. _Shit…I wasn’t expecting him to actually go along with it! I thought he’d deny me or just laugh at me—but he actually answered sincerely. He was serious when saying it, too…_

I glance over at Levi. His face is a little pink and grumpy, but otherwise, kind.

Now that I have my answer, I struggle to formulate a response.

I beam down at the grass in front of me and feel my heart squeeze happily. “Thank you…It really means a lot, especially coming from you. I know how much your pride means to you.” I stop walking and watch as he stops too, but he refuses to turn around. It doesn’t really matter though.

Levi’s POV

I really don’t want to turn around. Not after saying something so horribly embarrassing.

Me drop my pride? It’s a huge step; it’s a big deal.

But…I can’t seem to say no to him. He wanted a serious answer and so I gave him one—though it was hard. It’s _still_ hard just trying to face the fact that I even said something like that.

Hesitantly, I turn around and look over at Eren who stands with me at the top of the hill. My heart stops and my ears turn hot.

_Holy…damn…_

Eren is clasping the bottom of his suspenders with both of his hands; his legs cross easily at his ankles. The wind methodically urges his chocolaty-brown hair to sway along with his lightly tucked shirt. Behind him is the perfect scenery of the field and village. The morning sky is a calm mixture of both orange and pink, settling beautifully behind Eren. He dreamily raises his eyes up from the grass and gazes over at me. A quick tune strums its way into my heart the moment his reach mine.

In the sun, they’re not their usual emerald that I know so well—but _gold_ instead.

It takes me so much by surprise that my lips part and I catch myself just staring at him— but even so, I allow myself to _continue_ to stare at him without turning away.

I won’t turn away from the picturesque painting set before me.

I won’t turn away from the charming Eren staring over at me.

I have never seen his eyes so bright before. I have never seen them _gold_ before, either. They’re always a mixture of green, blue, and gray. How can they even be gold right now? It doesn’t make sense—but even so, they’re striking and absolutely gorgeous.

His cheeks are a tinge of pink and proceed to a shade of red the longer I stare.

“Levi, I-I really didn’t want to say this, but…I _do (kind of)_ want you. Know that.” He positions a hand through his hair and awkwardly laughs, “It’s so embarrassing having to say that aloud, but you kind of deserve it after giving me the okay to, well, _you know_ , to you…”

_Why is he so freakin’ cute?_

I walk up in front of him and drop my suitcase at my side. I stand up onto my tippy-toes and plant a passionate kiss to his mouth.

His awkwardness, his dorkiness, his stubbornness, his cuteness…He’s a walking flaw—but that’s exactly why I fell hard for the kid (even though his cleaning skills are absolutely treacherous and needs to miraculously improve). To me, his personality is just as perfect as his looks, which says a lot. He’s tall, slender, tan, with bright eyes and the perfect shade of luscious hair. His smile and laugh is contagious, and his humor is grand (though dry at times).

When I pull my lips off his, the greatest desire to just push him to the ground and make love with him comes on strong—but that would be _terrible_. I don’t want our first time to be in a damn forest! I want the brat to be comfortable and (let’s be honest) I want to be comfortable, too. Plus, I only washed his hair a few hours ago. No way in _hell_ am I getting it dirty again. It isn’t worth the hassle.

“I want you, too—but not here. If you get all dirty, _especially_ your hair, I won’t be able to touch you without feeling disgusted because you’d be an absolute dirtball by the time I’d get through with you. We’d have to wait for the next water source to come up to be able to wash you, before I’d even _think_ to go near you again.”

“It’s kind of annoying when you say it like that…” Eren grumbles under his breath.

“What’s annoying?”

“When you say, ‘ _I’d be a dirtball by the time I get through with you_.’”

I chuckle and roll my eyes at him. “Whatever. I know what you want. You’re just ‘too much of a _man_ ’ to admit it.”

Eren nods agreeably and sticks his tongue out at me. “And a _man_ I will stay.”

“I’ll remember those exact words the day you’re screaming my name,” I smirk. “You’ll be crying out, ‘ _more, more, Levi please!_ ’ And I’ll laugh, saying, ‘ _told you so_.’”

Eren turn’s the brightest shade of tomato red I have ever seen him turn before, before shouting, “I will _never_ be like that!”

“Oh?” A large cheshire smile crawls up along my lips. “You practically were the day we jerked one another off.”

“Do we _have_ to bring that day up right now?”

“Yes. We do.” I slyly reply, grabbing my suitcase again. We keep walking and continue on as we reach the forest.

“Well…” Eren flushes and attempts to slightly alter the subject. “If you want to talk about that day, I can do that.” He smiles lightly, “I still have Mikasa and Armin’s gifts ready for the next time I see them.” He explains, “When you gave me back the necklaces that day, it was a nice breath of fresh air after the fit I had gone through that same day.”

My eyes widen. “Fit? You remember it?” Eren raises a brow of at me and laughs.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” He shakes his head then adds, “Whenever I’m stressed out about something, I get one. I guess you could call them panic attacks.”

I find it just so weird how his titan abnormalities have been covered up with very normal, _human_ -like qualities. It’s amazing how everything that has been altered slightly in his mind holds some sort of truth still. It makes it all the more real.

“Got’cha.” I reply, deep in thought. This really does change things. Not much, but it will definitely change the way I’ll have to think, too.

Then, my mouth opens to involuntarily ask, “That day in the court house—when I beat you up—why did I do it?”

Eren looks over at me with a puzzled expression and is quiet for a moment or two. “The court almost declared my execution when you stepped in. You beat me up to prove that I’m not dangerous; that I’m just a normal human being like everybody else—even if I do have some weird genes.” I nod slowly at his response and look for him to continue, which he does. “For me, I always had to listen to authorities’ orders around the clock. A single ‘no’ could have easily cost my life.”

“You’re strong for standing your ground like that in front of the king though.”

_Both the you now and the you then are._

“I didn’t really stand my ground…I ran away.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t willing to give in to him, were you?”

“No…I guess not—but even so, I didn’t get what I what I truly wanted.”

My eyes widen as I gaze at him almost baffled. “Truly wanted?” I question quietly.

“I wasn’t able to stay in the Recon Corps with my family.” He softly tells me. A strange emotion suddenly wells up inside me and sends my stomach into a swirling pit of hell. I mean, I already knew that Eren feels this way towards the team, but…

It irritates me.

_Why do I feel so numb?_

“If you could…would you go back?” I ask. The words come out almost inaudible.

_Why does it kind of hurt when he says it like that?_

“I…I probably would—but I’d want you to be with me.” Eren responds, observing my tense expression with care. He looks like he wants to say more, but instead I purposely speak.

“Eren, if you had the choice of going back or sticking with me, what would you do?”

“What? Didn’t I just tell you? I’d probably go back, but with you…” He seems confused.

“No. If I decided I wouldn’t go back to that shithole, what would you decide to do?”

_Am I overacting? Why am I getting so flustered?_

Eren just stares at me, pale in the face. “You…wouldn’t go back?”

“Absolutely not. There’s nothing there I’d _want_ to go back to.” I stare up past the treetops while we walk and watch the sky above us. _I feel the most content just being out here in the middle of nowhere with you. I don’t need some stupid walls to help contain me again. You sure as hell don’t either._

Eren—would you leave me if I decided not to go back?

“I’d stay with you.”

Both my feet and heart automatically stop. _What?_ I couldn’t believe my ears. _Really?_

“You’d stay with me instead of going back to your sister and brother?”

“Yes,” He hesitates, “It’d be hard, but that doesn’t mean I’d never see them again. I have faith that one day the three of us will cross paths.” Eren pulls out something from pants’ pocket then allows his fingers to uncurl. In his palm are the necklaces for both Mikasa and Armin. “After all, I have to give them these one day.” He gives me a toothy grin then lets out a tiny sigh. “You’re the only person I need, so I wouldn’t be able to go back anyway if you weren’t there beside me.” Eren stares down at his feet, his smile weakening. “When you left for those four months, that’s when I realized that it’s hard living life without you. I felt as if something in my heart was missing.”

 _That makes two of us._ I silently muse.

Eren leans up against a nearby tree and shakes his head, “I was terrified that you wouldn’t come back; that you were killed by a ti…”

Abruptly, he stops; his eyes broadening with horror. “Ti…What was it again…? What was that word…?”

I stare at him with a frown enveloping my expression. “Are you okay?”

“M-Mhm…I just feel as if I’m forgetting something important…” He rests a hand through his messy hair. “It’s going to drive me insane now. What _is_ that word?”

“If it was something important you’d remember it. Don’t force yourself to remember trivial things that won’t do you any good now.” I walk over to him and give him a firm pat on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s keep going.”

“Mm…” He softly responds then strays at my side again.

This is going to be a long, hardjourney for him…

Eren. Stay strong.

Fight back.

**…**

Eren POV

We’ve been traveling for three weeks.

The two of us are exhausted and have been having a hard time finding water. Every here and there we’ll find a small pond or two, but otherwise, it’s been rough. The days aren’t all that bad, but the nights are brutal. The last time we were traveling, the nights weren’t as bad. They were bearable, but this time the nights are bitter cold.

We stick close to the earth once darkness falls and make sure to keep a steady fire all throughout the night. Honestly, I’d much rather be sleeping in the _trees_ again! Sleeping on the forest’s floors at night is terrifying! There’s a lot of noise that takes place; a lot of creepy ones, too. All you hear are the sounds of snakes slithering, the sound of monkeys screaming at one another, and the sound of sticks cracking nearby.

Yep, I’ll take a large tree branch big enough for two, please!

“Levi~” I whine sleepily, “I’m scared~!”

He’s sitting leaned up against this huge oak, gazing wearily into the orangey flames of the fire. I have my head propped up against his lap while my arms fold tightly around his legs.

“You’re fine. Just go to sleep.” He lets out a yawn that gets his eyes to water.

“You’re tired, too…let’s both just go to sleep…” I mumble out against his warm leg.

“No. You sleep first. I have to watch the fire.” I deeply sigh then look up at him. He looks absolutely exhausted. Sitting up, I take him in my arms, placing him down onto my lap with him facing me. I then force his head down against my shoulder. “Nah, I still have a little more energy to spare. You look a lot more tired than I do. You go ahead and sleep. You really need it.”

From my shoulder, he stares up at me in a daze. His bluish-gray eyes are twice as gorgeous with the fire’s vibrant flames reflected in them. “Why am I sitting on _your_ lap?” He asks. _Isn’t that obvious?_

“Because I’d probably squish you if I were to sit on _your_ lap, Corporal.” I smirk and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“ _Tch_ , I’m twice as strong than you’ll ever be…”Soon after he answers, I feel him laugh against my neck.

_Eeh, it tickles!_

I gnaw down on my lower lip and suppress a fit of laughter from arising.

“I almost forgot that your neck’s sensitive…” Levi brushes his lips down it, sending shivers all over my body. _Of course you haven’t forgotten…! You’re just saying that, you ass…!_

From the bottom of my neck he slides his tongue all the way up to my jaw then presses thousands upon thousands of kisses along it. A loud moan escapes my lips causing me to grip his back for support. The blood is already rushing to my head.

“O-Oi! S-Stop…! Go to sleep you perv!” I scold, trying to push him away from my vulnerable neck.

“Eren,” He breathes unevenly, “Let’s add to all the noise going on around us…”

“L-Levi!” I try shoving him off my lap when I feel a strong sensation hit my hips. “Idiot! To say things like that! It’s embarrassing as hell!”

“You’re getting grumpy.” He simply states with a sly smirk.

“What? Of course I am! You should be sleeping right now!” I complain.

Immediately, I feel hands slip under my shirt and begin to rub up against my abdomen. I loudly groan and feel my face burn with pure ecstasy. _It feels so fuc—_

My mind wanders, right when it’s cut short.

Before I know it, I’m cracking up under the hands’ of my lover. He’s tickling me so hard that I can barely breathe. Weakly, I clutch his shoulders. “P-Please—ha ha—please, s-st _op_ —pft…pft, ha ha ha!” I drop my head down against his shoulder and die of laughter.

_D-Dammit…! You jerk!_

In desperate attempt to make him stop, I reach down, grabbing him by the hips. I clutch each side of his bones so tightly that I notice the change in his movements. He draws away from my stomach and holds his hands over mine.

“Ah…!” He moans.

No, _no_. He moans _loudly_.

_Woah…Something like that can come out of him, too?_

Completely startled by the sound, I sit there; mouth gapped and eyes fixated on his pink face. My hips are tingling so much that it’s almost unbearable now.

“B- _Brat_ …!” He growls out past clenched teeth.

_Oh shit…I’m so screwed…!_

“S-S-Sorry! I really am!”

“You little…” He trails—but that’s when his demeanor changes. His voice becomes calm and his face is no longer angry…but that doesn’t necessarily _mean_ that he isn’t angry. Actually, I’m more terrified of _this_ change in voice more than I am the other!

“…Just know you’ll be screaming to the heavens the next time I fix my eyes on a damn bed. Know that I’m going to pound you so hard into the sheets that you’ll be seeing stars.”

He means it. That’s the scary part.

“How much you want to bet I won’t?” A crooked smile crawls up across my face.

_Oh for shit’s sake, Eren! What the hell are you doing?_

“Oh? Are you possibly asking for it hard?” Levi, now fascinated, smirks now too.

“Bring it on! I bet I won’t even _think_ to start screaming your name!”

_Of course you will, idiot!_

“Okay then. Challenge accepted.” Levi almost sinisterly grins, “I can’t wait see how this will unfold. Entertain me, won’t you Eren?”

“Me, entertain you? Yeah right! You’ll be entertaining _me_ when things don’t go your way!”

_Am I moran? Seriously? I’m just asking for my own grave! Shut it already mouth!_

“I’m going to have a lot of fun with this.” He adds with an enigmatic curl of his lips. With that, my whole body shivers and turns ice-cold. You really did it now, Eren! Your first ‘making love’ session will result in a brutal battle of ass pounding (literally)!

**…**

It soon grows quiet between the two of us.

“A-Are you asleep now?” I bashfully mutter. With his eyes closed, he softly smiles.

“Just about…to…” He mumbles. He’s so cute when he’s sleepy—but also insane!

I sigh and begin to stroke my fingers slowly through his black hair. He stiffens up at first, but then melts into my arms seconds later. His arms give me one last squeeze before loosely dangling at his sides. _He’s almost asleep now._ I muse.

So, without even thinking, I start to sing:

_Stronger, much stronger,_

_Have you seen?_

_The difference in this brand new me,_

_The revealing of a human being,_

_He, Me,_

_Together,_

_I’m far beyond different,_

_This curse will last forever,_

_But this time,_

_This time I’m stronger,_

_Much stronger,_

_Have you seen?_

_Just trying to find me,_

_The me I have longed to be,_

_We are the person I have prayed hard to see,_

_He, Me,_

_Together,_

_I’m far from perfection,_

_Ties are cut and severed,_

_But this time,_

_This time I’m stronger._

_Much stronger,_

“Beautiful…I’m very proud of you…” Levi whispers.

When I go to answer back, I notice that he’s already fast asleep. In the end, the singing worked like a charm.

 _Why is he proud of me? I don’t understand._ I think to myself. _But…at least he likes it._

**…**

“We…finally made it.” I murmur gently. Both happiness and excitement fills my tired expression with hope. “Look, look Levi! We’ve finally made it!” I point down from the hill at the new world that settles before us.

“Yes, thankfully.” He replies then chuckles. “You’re so thrilled right now that you haven’t even taken a good look at the town yet, have you?”

Surprised, I look to see what he’s talking about.

Ahead of us is a huge array of many buildings—but behind the huge town is a castle.

It’s unlike anything I have ever seen before. It’s towers high above all the other buildings and is made of all stone. The very top of it is made of pure glass though. It’s kind of bizarre to look at, at first, but gradually it grows on me. “Wow…” My voice trails. “It’s a lot cooler than the one we had behind wall Sina.”

“Yeah,” Levi shrugs a shoulder and mockingly laughs, “This place is still packed with resources. No one from behind the walls has ever made it as far as us before, so that means they haven’t gotten to Edgenesse’s raw materials either.”

“Is Edgenesse the name of the town?” I ask out of curiosity.

“Yes.” Levi simply answers.

“I wonder what they have here that the people from behind the walls want so badly…” I rest my fingers on my chin, “Sending people out this far is almost like a death sentence.”

“A death sentence that we have overpassed,” Levi smirks then stares out at the emptied town. “Who knows what they’re hiding in there—but hey; we’re about to find out.”

I feel a beam stretch across my lips, “Sick! Let’s go find out!” I grab Levi’s hand and take off down the hill, towards the town.

**…**

As we edge closer to our destination, a strong smell drifts its way my nose. I think I’ve smelt the same smell once before, but I just can’t remember where…It’s not a bad scent, but it’s definitely a weird one.

When the strong wind quietens, I hear something. It’s nearby.

_I’ve heard this a few times before…What is it again? It’s on the tip of my tongue._

“What’s that smell?” I ask Levi. He laughs gently then motions for me to follow him.

We walk about twenty minutes away from the town and approach this high fence that obscures the sight that hides behind it. “The smell…it’s gotten stronger. So has the sound.”

“It has.” Levi tells me, “You’re absolutely right.”

Levi brings us over to an opening in the fence and walks out past it.

“We’re here.” He explains with a bright, genial smile. I squeeze out past him and feel my heart tighten and squeeze at the scene that displays itself for us.

“The ocean.” My lips answer for me. Levi nods.

“This is your first time seeing it up close, right? Go ahead and check it out.” He assures. “Oh, but first, take off all your gear and leave your things over here. You don’t want to get sand all over them.”

I do as he says and wind up putting all my things next to his. I watch as he takes off his boots, leading me to do the same. Hesitantly, I walk down the wooden stairs into the sandy oasis. When my feet hit the sand, I stand there a minute, curling my toes into its warmth.

“It’s soft.” I say the moment Levi reaches my side again.

“It is. I mean, this isn’t your first time seeing sand, but this is your first time seeing so much of it, right?”

“Uh-huh…Wow, it’s weird not seeing it in a marketplace for a change.”

“That’s a normal reaction,” Levi takes my hand and chortles before tugging me along with him as he walks, “I’m surprised you’re not at the water already. I figured that’d be your main interest, but you seem to be more captivated in the sand than the _massive_ amount of salty water ahead of us.”

“Salty?” I question. _Gross. Why would salt be in water?_

“You’re kidding me, right? You seriously didn’t know that ocean’s water is salty?”

“I have read that it is, but I didn’t think that it was actually true though.”

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.” Levi deeply sighs. “That’s we get for staying behind closed walls for so long.”

**…**

Unsure about whether or not I should place my feet into the water rushing towards us, I take a few steps away. I avoid it, but Levi endures it. When it touches his ankles, he shivers—then looks over his shoulder to see me just standing several feet behind him.

“Eren, get back over here! It’s not going to hurt you, you idiot.”

“You don’t know that for sure! In the books I’ve read, it said how oceans have all sorts of creatures living in it! Some microscopic and some bigger than Sina’s castle itself!”

“Stop complaining and get your cute, little butt back over here before I make it!”

I blush then unwillingly walk back over to Levi’s side. He takes my hand in his then points as water comes running towards us again. I close my eyes and hug his arm as the ocean’s cold liquids brush over my flushed feet.

I peek out past my eyelids to see the water already retreating back to its main source in a matter of seconds.

_Oh…_

“See? Not so bad.” He nudges his shoulder against my arm. “You’re still alive. Nothing has killed you.”

Slowly, I unwind myself from Levi’s arm and stare down at the water. “It feels—nice.” I take a few steps forward and watch as it deepens around my legs. I laugh as waves hit them. I just find it so strange how something like water could do something so cool without as many people even knowing it can.

I continue until I’m waist-deep then I dip my head underwater.

The sound of muffled waves is all I hear.

_I feel so at peace._

Suddenly, this peculiar sensation hits me while submerged under the cool liquid. It flashes before my eyes faster than I can even makeout what’s happening.

A hand reaches out to me.

I go to grab it, but then hastily decide not to.

The hand…it’s mine.

As much as I want to grab it, something in the back of my head tells me that I can’t; that I mustn’t…And soon, the answer comes clearly. It’s Levi’s voice telling me not to.

Huh…

Then, something almost impractical happens.

I meet with a bright pair of golden eyes. They’re staring back at me and honestly, it’s terrifying. It’s terrifying because I find that it’s _me_ with golden eyes.

He holds his hand out further and gestures for me to take ahold of it. A welcoming smile overwhelms a large majority of his face as he stares. I mean, he seems friendly, but…something isn’t right. Why would I be seeing another me? Why would I have golden eyes? Why does everything I’m seeing feel so real?

_It’s not real, Eren. You’re in the ocean right now. You’re probably just having another fit._

With that single thought bearing in mind, I fight against the urge to take the friendly hand and completely refuse it by pulling myself back to the surface.

I gasp air into my lungs and realize that I was holding my breath for quite some time.

Levi strides over to me through the water and lends me a hand. I thank him then I look around in search of the other me.

“What’s wrong?” Levi’s voice makes me jump.

“O-Oh…It’s nothing.” I reply before turning to leave the water. “Maybe we should head to town now. We should find a place to stay before it gets dark.” I suggest. He nods a sign of agreement then follows close behind me.

“Hey, Eren—I have a really important question to ask you.”

Once out of the water, I glance behind me at Levi who stands with water steadily flowing between his toes still.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I noticed the day we left to come here, but didn’t say anything about it then, so I’d like to ask now because it has me curious.” He runs his fingertips through his dampened hair. “Do your eyes change to a golden color, too? I’ve been seeing them like that a lot more frequently these past two weeks.”

I freeze.

Pure shock surges through me, as does fear. Slowly, I turn around to face him again.

“G-Gold…?” I stutter out in horror.

“Yeah. I mean, they’re beautiful and all, but I was startled the first time I saw them like that. I had figured that it was just the sun making them look that way—but it has been happening a lot more often now.”    

“Is that so?” I question with a small, forced smile.

“Yeah.”

I whip back around and start heading off towards the stairs leading us to our things. “No. I’ve never had gold eyes before, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it though. Earth has probably shifted a little bit off its axis and that is what has caused the change.” I totally bullshit it with some sort of ‘logical’ answer so that Levi may actually think to consider it. I don’t need him to worry about me anymore than he already does. “There are endless possibilities to why they may have changed.” I assure the man right as I reach my gear again.

While strapping it all back on, Levi musters up a small, “Mm…Yeah, maybe.”

**…**

All the way back to the town, Levi is quiet.

It makes me a bit uneasy. I don’t like when doesn’t talk much. It worries me into thinking that his thoughts are preoccupied far more than they should be—and, when he’s thinking too much, that usually means that I’m somehow involved in the equation.

My attempts in trying to convince him that everything is okay, fails.

He’s worried…and quite honestly, I am, too.

The me with golden eyes is dangerous. He holds one of my secrets and tortures me with it by waving it in my face. He doesn’t want me to forget that he still has it. It’s also the same secret Levi doesn’t want me to remember for some reason, too. It’s almost suspicious.

But that’s when I realize something very important.

Levi mentioned how lately my eyes have been turning gold—which means the me I saw underwater is still a part of my being.

I _am_ the me with golden eyes.

And, I’m also the one torturing myself, too…

.

.

.

I am rejecting myself; a piece of me that my heart wants to remember—but for some peculiar reason, my gut keeps me from taking it back.

That’s because—because _I_ am dangerous.

 _I’m_ the dangerous one…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my friends~! I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter!! I made it extra long for you! c: In Microsoft Word, it says that it's seventeen pages long, lol! xD And, the whole story all together (so far) is eighty-eight pages long! Guys, that's insane!! I should be writing the series I'm getting published instead, lmao! Good thing I love you all! x3  
> Again, thank you all so much for the support! <3 I love making you all happy! It really makes my day much brighter. :)


	9. Eventful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The well awaited sex scene is in this chapter! xD

We finally got back to the town…but were both quiet the whole way there. I guess we both have a lot on our minds right now. I just…I’m worried about Levi.

When we reach the entrance of the town, I immediately feel uncomfortable. It’s beautiful and all, but there’s something about it that really makes my skin itch. I wonder…

That’s when I see it.

I see the other me for a second time.

When he turns to face us from inside the town, he extends a hand out towards me and smirks; golden eyes flashing a quick thing of red.

_Come…Come to me, Eren. Set your heart at ease._

He inaudibly mouths over to me. My eyes dilate with pure terror.

_Please…Please go away!_ My mind desperately screams.

_You and I are the same…We’re both capable of destroying._

_D-Destroying…?_ I muse.

_Yes…I can destroy everything in this world. You can destroy the people you love most._ My mirror image mischievously grins with humor surging throughout his every word. _You can and **will** destroy the man standing next to you…Let this be a forewarning._

All air in my lungs is punched out of me. I can’t breathe and my heart runs ragged.

_No…No, I’d never hurt him! Never!_

_But you will…Why are you so naïve? You have always known that his death is possible._

_It’s not happening! I will never kill him!_

_And how can you be so sure when you don’t even know who you are anymore?_ He asks.

I freeze, feeling my face lose all its color.

I take a few steps away from the entrance of the town and grip my chest where my heart should be. Levi quizzically turns to me. He looks at me sadly with his somnolent eyes. “Eren, what’s the matter?”

I force every urge to cry back into the back of my throat and force my lips to happily curl. “Levi…I need you to hear me out for a minute.”

He’s silent, but nods for me to continue.

“I’m fighting back against myself right now…I know that may sound strange, but…I’m fighting back against the me you don’t want me to remember.” I bite down on my lower lip and grip my chest tighter. In the corner of my eye, I can see the golden eyed version of me make his way towards me. _He doesn’t need to know about me. You’re making a grave mistake right now, Eren. You realize that don’t you?_ He walks up beside me and wraps his arms around my body, sending a shiver of immense pain to pierce straight through my heart. The feeling is so painful that it makes me scream. I claw at my shirt and gasp air into my aching lungs.

“Eren!” Levi calls out nervously to me and looks as if he’s about to run over to me when I quickly raise a hand up to stop him. I cry out a desperate, “NO! DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!” The words come out harsh and they even get me to tear up. I didn’t want to say it that way, but I can’t have him come near me right now, especially with the other me right beside me.

_Oh? Are you protecting him? A monster protecting a human that will soon die?_

_Shut the fuck up!_ I yell back into my thoughts at the second me. _I won’t let you take him!_

“L-Levi…I’m okay. Just let me continue.” Before he can interrupt, I begin again, “The memory you don’t want me to remember is very important…isn’t it? Well, I don’t care if it is or not anymore because there’s a reason to why you don’t want me to remember it.”

_You’re being so mean, Eren~! Don’t be like that!_ The golden eyed me whispers into my ear. I completely ignore him and continue on for Levi’s sake. “I trust your judgment and I trust everything that you have told me. Levi I—”

_Wrong decision._ Eren #2 monotonously mumbles out right before striking me hard in the gut. The hit sends pain crawling up my bones. I fall to my knees and clutch my stomach into my hands.

“ _Eren_...!” Levi cries through clenched teeth. “Let me he—”

“N-No! Don’t! I swear Levi, don’t you dare come near me right now!” I call over to him. “I-I’ll endure…I can do it. These beatings aren’t nearly as bad as the ones you gave me that day during my trial.” I smirk and glance up at my mirror image that glares back down.

I move my eyes back onto Levi again and press on, “A-Anyway, I believe you, so I’m not going to give in, no matter what. Whatever’s in me is strong…and it’s only growing more powerful.” I stand back up onto my feet and gaze over at him. “And, if I take the memory I’m missing back now, I feel as if it’ll engulf me whole. Things will change and I will lose all sense of the me I have known for the past few months while being alone with you.”

_You bastard!_ My mirror image violently kicks up at my arm and nails in the tricep. It gets me to stagger off to my side a little, but I just take my throbbing arm into my opposite hand and ignore the prescience standing next to me again.

“I…I could really hurt you, Levi…That’s my biggest fear.” Cruel tears pool in my eyes. I break a sorrowful but compassionate grin, causing streams of water to stray down my cold cheeks. “But even so, I can’t let go because I have finally been given the opportunity to have you all for myself…I have waited _years_ for the moment that I’d be able to actually call you my boyfriend.” I shake my head back and forth and quiver at the thought of Levi suddenly vanishing from the new life I have been encountering. I gaze over at Levi’s horrified face and picture him smiling and laughing instead. All memories of us together resurface—and not just those of us being a couple, but memories of us from way back—up until now—too.

“I…I just love you _so_ damn much, Levi Ackerman…” My grin dissipates into a hard frown, “I don’t want to see you leave—but I don’t want to see you get hurt, either.”

Then, a powerful kick rattles my spine and—before I can even recover from the blow—a punch to the center of my back gets my knees to buckle and my voice shrieking for relief.

But it doesn’t end there.

Eren #2 continues to pound every portion of my body until I feel lightheaded and weak. Before I know it, I’m falling to Earth’s surface.

Everything incredibly slows at that moment.

I stare up to see the golden eyed _asshole_ scowling back down at me. _You’re weak! You have no A-game and will die if you keep this shit up! You want to fucking die, or do you want the power to get back up? Before that stupid accident of yours, you were as powerful as the gods! You had everything going for you! And, on top of that, you were able to heal yourself whenever you were put into a shitty situation like **this**! _

All I can hear though is Levi’s voice nearing. He’s trying to get to me again. “G-Go! Leave me alone, Levi! P-Please!” I order—but he doesn’t listen.

He drops down beside me and picks me up into his arms.

“You’re—all beaten up.” Levi says slowly.

“G-Get away from me…! It’s not safe!” I tell him, trying to push him away. “He’ll hurt you!”

“He?”

“The other me, so please, go!”

“Listen, Eren.” Levi hugs me closer into his arms. “I made a promise to never leave your side and I plan on keeping it. If he wants to hurt me, let him because I’m not going anywhere.” He presses a gentle kiss right next to one of my watery eyes and whispers, “I’ll find a way to fight back and I’ll definitely find a way to always protect you.”

That’s when I notice that he’s trembling. I stop crying and look up at him. My eyes broaden the second I see that his distressed eyes are glassy. “Eren, I love you just as much and worry about you just as much, too…Can’t you get that? I always want what’s best for you and I never want to see you like this, or…or like _that_ ever again.” His free hand’s fingertips glide across my damp skin, drying the tears that stain it. Afterwards, he tightens his grip around me so that my head is resting on his shoulder. He delicately places a hand onto the scar hidden behind my hair and sighs irregularly. “The day you almost died had hurt me so bad that I still feel its ache today. It made me realize that anything can happen at any given time—and I don’t want losing you to become one of them.”

“Levi…” I nuzzle my head against the crook of his neck while whispering out, “I need you to promise me something.” Knowing that he would need the moral support for the words to follow, I stroke his back consolingly, “If I ever lose my way and go insane—I need to know that you’ll kill me as soon as I do.”

“I won’t.” He instantly responds. He pulls his head away from mine and determinedly shakes it back and forth. “I absolutely refuse.” He powerfully grips my shoulders in his hands with hurt poisoning his expression. “I will fix the problem, no matter the struggle. You hear me, brat? Unlike the others, I can tame you.”

“Please…Please don’t fucking say that!” I shout, pushing him away from me. “What I’m saying may hurt you, but it hurts me just as much!” Tears stray from my distraught again. “Do you think I would _really_ want to say something that horrible if I knew I could fix the problem? Hell no!” I stand back up to my feet again and limp a few steps away from him. “I know my circumstances and I know how bad I have gotten just within an hour…So please understand that if I regain my memory, everything will be a living hell for you and everyone here on Earth!” I position a hand over my heart and grimly add, “Because I will destroy _everything_.”

_I have a strong feeling saying that I can._ I muse to myself.

I whip around and take off running into the town at full speed. “E-Eren!” Levi calls while attempting to chase after me. “Wait!” He may be short, but he’s fast. I’m tall and have long legs, so I’m able to get to where I need to go a lot quicker without trying as hard though. After a while, Levi will fatigue and I will still have some energy left to escape.

For now, I just need some time to think and be alone because the thought of possibly harming Levi in the future petrifies me.

Eventually, I lose him and turn down this dark alleyway. I press my hands to one of the stone walls for support and cry, “…Kill me—kill me before I kill you… _Please_! I don’t want to hurt anyone…!”

_I don’t want to be a killer!_

**…**

I head towards the castle, but along the way, it starts pouring freezing cold rain.

Just my luck.

While walking, my foot gets caught in a small hole in the road, leading me to fall into a large puddle of water. It gets my pants all muddy and gross and splatters water up onto my shirt.

“Today sucks…” I murmur to myself. I don’t even bother to get up this time because all I have been doing all day is fall over. If there’s a god out there, I’m sure he’s telling me that I should just stop moving all together and stay where I am.

“Hey, handsome, why so dreary?” A voice calls out from behind me. I tiredly half-smirk and sadly shrug a shoulder. “I give up…I give up on life because all it keeps doing is push me back down.” I stare down in a daze at the puddle I’m sitting in and see the reflection of a depressed boy with messy brown hair and—and bluish-green eyes.

“Never give up because there’s always something to look up to.” The voice nears until they’re right up behind me. The person squats down then rests their head on my shoulder before snaking their arms around my stomach. They hold the position for a few moments before muttering into my ear, “You’re extremely strong. Did you know that? Strong, beautiful, loving…Sorry, you’re not all that graceful though.”

I crack a small grin and quietly laugh. “You always find a way to throw that in there, don’t you?”

“The truth speaks for itself.” He tells me with a chortle. “But…seriously though. I have never met a more beautiful person before in my whole entire life, Eren Jaeger. You have really opened me up to things I have never even _thought_ of seeing before and have even helped me see much more than that.” I blush softly and feel my insides automatically warm.

“You’ve done the same for me, too. You have taken me from a place I don’t belong and have shown me that life isn’t all that ugly if you look at it from a whole new perspective.” I answer with a widening smile. The reflection of me in the puddle already looks happier.

Levi takes my left hand within both of his and warms it up before pecking the back of it slow and sweet.

Then my heart entirely stops.

When he pulls away, his arms go back to castling me from behind—but when I look back down at my hand—a gorgeous, silver band extends around my ring finger.

“Then let’s continue to see the world in a whole new way.” Levi passionately tells me with a smile sounding in his voice. “Eren…Marry me.”

Slowly, very slowly, this huge beam emerges across my face. My eyes blur with pools of pure content. I take my left into my right hand and hold it tighter than my heart is squeezing behind my chest. “O-Of course…!” I joyously exclaim before whipping around. I embrace him tightly and peacefully cry down against his shoulder. “I-I’m so happy!” I choke out.

“I know you are…and that makes me really glad.” He presses several kisses into my damp hair. “This is my commitment saying that I’ll always be there for you. It doesn’t matter what atrocities you’re going through because it won’t change the fact that I will be standing beside you the whole entire time.” He pulls us apart so he can look me in the eyes. “ _This_ is why I can’t kill you, Eren. I don’t want to live with the grief of never being able to see you again. That’s why I vow tofind a solution to this mess. I will try to put an end to it before it can even exceed to that level.”

“Levi…” It pains me to hear that he’ll stick around if things are to get out of hand—but at the same time, I was hoping he would say that. I was hoping that he wouldn’t abandon me.

I’m selfish.

Levi runs the tips of his fingers through my hair and affectionately smiles. With a small sigh he tells me, “Look at this hair…It’s all salty and wet.”

“I can’t help it.” I gaze down at him with a grin creeping up onto my lips. He stands up and holds a hand out to me. “Come on, brat. Let’s go get you all cleaned up.”

I accept his offer then stand up with his help. “Okay, thanks.”

We head into the nearest house for the time being and shield ourselves from the rain.

We wash up then take a quick look around. We aren’t going to be in here for long—but might as well have a little fun while we’re here.

**…**

“Ah…Levi…” My voice croaks. His soft lips travel up my whole body, pressing small kisses to all my favorite places on the skin. My inner thigh, my neck, my ear, and my lips are pampered with his fond touches.

“Eren,” His teeth gently tug at my lower lip. My face warms and my voice pleasurably pleas for him to stop teasing me. “I can’t wait any longer.” Levi announces against my lips. He slips his tongue into my mouth and feels out its inners. The feeling sends butterflies flying up through my stomach, making me feel a bit lightheaded.

I fold my arms around his neck and indulge myself with his love. Once the shyness dies down some, I brush my tongue over his. Surprised, he fleetingly slits his eyes open to gaze into mine that has done the same.

I guess that is his way of saying that he liked it.

We both close our eyes again and entwine our tongues. They dance a steady beat behind our cheeks. Levi positions a leg between both of mine then snakes a hand up under my shirt. My skin prickles underneath his cool touch. I press my torso up against his palm and feel really turned on. Hesitantly, I slide my fingers between his and lace them together.

I whisper seductively, “Take me…”

Levi lifts his head so that he’s staring straight down into my eyes with his bluish-grays. He cracks a cocky smirk. “I knew you’d eventually give in.”

“S-Shush,” I threaten, “I’ll take it back!”

“Too late.” He brings a hand down to my pants and runs it over the clothed area between both of my legs. I gasp and go to unintentionally pull away, but Levi pins me and slowly strokes the area.

My face feels like it is on fire; it’s so embarrassing that I just want to hide!

Not wanting to be the only one feeling good, I reach behind him and grope his ass. It stuns him a little at first, but then he decides to ‘play along (which is just as frightening).’

He grabs the hand that is groping his butt and reaches it up to his lips. He gnaws down on one of my fingers and drools out, “Is that how you treat your leader?” His enigmatic orbs probe every inch of my face. “Looks like you need some discipline.”

He undresses me entirely.

Before I could even protest, I am flipped onto my stomach, ass in the air. He embarrassedly kisses each cheek gently, as if he is kissing a ‘boo-boo’ good-bye. I feel pure ecstasy rush into my head—when suddenly something catches me completely off guard.

He slaps my ass, hard.

I flinch and clutch a pillow close into my hands the second my bottom starts to burn and tingle. At this point, my embarrassment is considered an understatement. It has passed far beyond my limitations and, quite frankly, it scares me a small bit.

When he pulls his hand away, he chortles. “I guess that wouldn’t really be considered ‘punishment’ since you seemed to have enjoyed it.”

_Enjoy it? **Me** enjoy it? _ I mockingly laugh at the thought—but that’s when I realize that he just may be true.

I’m already half-hard.

I dig my head into the pillow in front of me and feel as if I’m going to bawl my eyes out. _I’m a sadist; I’m a fucking sadist, aren’t I?_

“It’s good to know that you also are into these types of things, too.” Levi bends down and rests his lips right next to my ear. “You and I are going to have a fun time…won’t we, Sexy?”

“D-Don’t whisper stuff like that into my ear…It’s weird.” I mumble a sound of complaint.

“Is it now?” Levi questions. “Well, I’ll just have to change that then.” He takes his shirt off and wraps it around my eyes before tying it in the back. “L-Levi! What the hell are you—?”

“I’ve always heard that when you take away someone’s sight during sexual intercourse, it hyphens up their senses.” Levi presses my head down into the pillow I am laying on and adds, “I’d like to test out this theory.”

“W-Wait! Can’t we have a romantic first time? Is that too much to ask?”

“It _is_ romantic. You’ll be feeling it twice as much.” He deadpans.

I growl into my pillow and reach for the shirt around my eyes. “I want to be able to see you during our first time! This isn’t fair!”

“Oh, I wasn’t planning on you having that on the whole time! I’ll be taking it off when I feel you’re ready.” He answers.

“Ready? Ready for _what_?” I quiz. I’m getting flustered.

“That’s a secret.” He says with a hint of a smile in his voice.

Damn this man…

**…**

“Ready?” Levi asks me. I can only hear his voice still; I am stripped of my sight.

He pulls his fingers out from my inners, getting my heart to nearly stop and my face to turn into a fiery inferno.

“W-What…? To get this blindfold off?” I sourly respond. He heavily sighs.

“No—to have sex.” His words get me blushing. _Sex_ …Such an impure word—but when Levi says it, it sounds hot and beautiful. Surely he’s an angel in disguise—though I know that his wings wouldn’t necessarily be _white_ at the moment.

“Mhm…I guess.” I bashfully reply, running my fingers up and down the hem of the pillow I have my head against.

Out of the blue, something warm touches one of my hands, holding it in place. I know its Levi’s hand right away though. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fun and pleasurable at the same time—so relax.” He draws back and presses both of his palms to my shoulders and begins massaging them. “You’re so tense.”

“Of course I’m tense…It’s my first time.” _It’s my first time being bottom, too._

“That’s exactly why you should relax. It’ll feel a lot better if you do.” Levi explains.

My florid face loosens and, when it does, so does the rest of my body.

“Good boy.” Levi joshes.

“S-Shut up…” I irritably mumble.

**…**

Levi positions himself then urges himself inside of me. I gasp and put a death-lock on the pillow underneath my head. I hold my breath until the very moment his length is entirely filling my inners. When he stops, I take uneven breaths in and out.

“Are you okay?” He asks with some apprehension. “This is always the hardest part.”

I gradually nod against my pillow. “Y-Yeah…I’ll probably be okay.”

“Good,” Levi answers. “I’ll take it easy until you get use to the feeling.”

And that he does.

He cautiously pushes himself in and out of me until I get use to the foreign sensation.

Eventually, when I do get use to it, my body turns to spaghetti. It feels so ‘effing amazing that I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.

Is it because I can’t anything see right now?

“Ah…Damn…” I moan. The slow pace is _murdering_ me. It can’t stay like this much longer. “M- _More_ …”

“ _Shit_ ,” Levi’s breathing quietly hitches, “More of what, baby?”

“M-More speed…” I beg.

Levi immediately picks up the pace, leaving me to drown in acidic pleasure. I arch both my back and ass up closer to his hips then prop myself up onto my elbows. The feeling drives me insane and my mind goes all hazy. “ _Fuck_ yeah…”

“Yes…Keep your body just like that…” Levi mutters down into my ear; his breath tickles. But when his lips begin kissing my neck, that’s when I _really_ lose it. I dig my nails into the comforter and moan for him to keep pleasuring both my neck and ass at the same time. Whether he gets the silent message or not is uncertain.

He then brings his arms under mine, resting his hands over my shaky ones; our fingers intertwine in the heat of the moment. One can assume that we are feeling the same amount of ecstasy.

His body hovers over me—him being the dominate one; me being the submissive one (sadly). He grinds against my inner walls, when suddenly… “ _Ah_! _Ngh_ —!”

He hits a sweet spot.

Levi proudly chuckles before devouring my ear.

He has found my prostate.

Focusing on that one spot, he drives into it, leaving my whole body to be set aflame. It’s such a raw, phenomenal feeling that I go completely hard. “N-No…! Slow down…!” I spit out through irregular breathes. My whole body grows feverish, especially my face and ears.

“Give me one reason why I should.” Levi shoots back.

“I-I don’t want to come so soon—plus, I want to see your face at least once!”

There’s silence for a minute or two, then… “Alright. If you say so.”

With that, Levi stops pounding me and flips me down onto my back. He rips off the shirt around my eyes and gazes straight down at me. A sly smirk positions across his peach lips. His cheeks are stained pink, as are his ears. His erotic eyes are glazed over with pure desire and stare down at the wrecked version of me.

I’m immediately captivated by him. Though I’m so extremely embarrassed that he has to see my lust-filled face, I already told myself that I wanted to do this. I won’t back down now. Not any longer. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time and I’m finally getting it, so I best take advantage of the situation I’m currently settled in and not back down like I had last time.

“Better, handsome?”

“Much better,” I tell him, loosely enveloping my arms up around his neck, “ _Now_ you can go to town.” Those were the only words needed for the man to kick into action.

He makes me fold my legs around his back then slips me the tongue while proceeding to fuck me.

Actually…‘fuck’ is a pretty harsh way of describing it. I mean, Levi is being a little rough with me right now, but I wouldn’t consider this _fucking_. We’re making love. We’re both lovers and are enjoying our time together. ‘Fucking’ sounds like it’d be used to describe people who aren’t in a relationship and are being rough with one another the whole entire time while having sex.

With every quick movement into my body, I feel my soul tremble.

_More…More…More…!_

That is my only thought.

Under the pressure of getting pounded in all of the sweetest ways, I cry out with glassy eyes, “I-I’m going to c-come…!”

Levi suddenly picks up his pace; his breath erratic, his eyes on fire.

He puts my hands into the comforter above my head and places his fingers between mine. His forehead rests down against mine. Those eyes…I can’t get enough of them. They’re sex all on their own.

His hips rock hard into me once, twice—no, _three_ times before his hard length firmly nails me against the prostate. The force drives me nuts and pushes me far past my limit. My toes curl and my nails dig into the flesh on his back. “ _Ngh_! Ahhh—!” My voice cries into his ear and echoes throughout the room bearing high ceilings.

With that, I ungracefully release.

In the meanwhile, the third time Levi slams his hips against my ass, he crouches his quivering body over mine and presses deep inside of me. His hands desperately grasp mine within his while he lets go. “ _Ah_ —! D- _Dammit_!” A warm, luke-warm substance soon fills me.

He collapses on top of me while I’m laying on cloud-nine. Every muscle in my body is loose and relaxed. I feel rejuvenated. I’m sure Levi does, too.

That…That was _amazing_.

**…**

Levi gently strokes my hair while I lay squished up against him. I’m warm and comfortable in his arms. It’s always been this way though.

“Did you have fun?” Levi breaks the tranquil silence.

I nod against his chest. “Yeah…It was nice.” I respond. “It felt really good.”

“Glad to hear it,” Levi answers, relocating one of his hands to my left, “I’m happy that I proposed to you today. I thought it’d really set the mood.”

“And it did, so good job.” I assure with a beam. He laughs softly, but wholeheartedly, then gently pecks the top of my head. “Thanks. I was hoping you’d accept, and when you did, all this relief hit me.” He squeezes me close into his arms. “I have never felt so sure about something before in my whole entire life. I’ll admit that I feel a lot more relieved knowing that there’s a ring on your finger than I had before when there wasn’t one.”

“Still can’t believe that you’re making a serious commitment. It’s very unlike you.”

“Huh? I’ve been committing myself to you for how long now? About six months?” Levi presses more chaste kisses into my clean hair and laughs, “I can make a few as long as you’re involved.”

I kiss his abdomen and smile against it. “Thank you. I know that means a lot coming from you.” I close my eyes, allowing my smile to widen, “I love you.”

“Love you too, Eren.” He warmly says back. It then grows quiet for a moment.

“Hey…Levi?”

“Hm?”

“This is a selfish request, but…never leave me, okay?”

“You got it.” Relieved, he sighs. “Even if you didn’t tell me to, I’d still do it.”

“I know you would.” It’s true. When Levi makes up his mind about something, it’s about impossible to change it. You have to have a _huge_ influence on him to be able to do so and even then it’s still hard (talking from experience).

Afterwards, the two of us decide to go to sleep. It’s dark out now, plus, we’re already laying down. Might as well stay for the night.

And so, the two of us begin to drift off into a magical land of sleep.

.

.

.

My last thought before falling asleep is: _Today has been very eventful._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! ^^ So...what did you think?? Haha! I can honestly say that I tried with the sex scene (though it was still extremely hard to write xD)!   
> And, did I surprise you all with their engagement?? I'd love to know! c:  
> Also, sorry for updating at such strange times now! I try to keep it relevantly around the same day though (meaning towards the end of the week). I'm on summer vacation and am in Florida right now with my sisters so it's been real crazy (but so much fun)!   
> Anyway, I love you all and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And, thank you again for all the support! It really means the world to me! <3 :3


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